


Roommate

by iCheeseYou



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Bottom Michael, Dom Luke, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Smut, Sub Michael, Top Luke
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2018-08-08 16:19:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7764658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iCheeseYou/pseuds/iCheeseYou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael has been living alone for a year and a half, until he’s unable to earn enough money to pay for rent and his needs. So when he is forced to get a roommate, much to his reluctance, he doesn't expect that person to be the one thing he disliked in high school.</p><p>© 2016 iCheeseYou</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a story I read on Quotev. It’s gone though, but it was one of my favorite straight stories ): (it was before I started getting into gay fanfics, okay. Don’t judge me).

Michael Clifford had his life sorted out.

When he was growing up, he was always seen as academically outstanding by his parents and teachers. He achieved the status of ‘prodigy’ when it came to the guitar when he was only eleven years old. He even got to perform alongside Josh Ramsay at a Marianas Trench gig, earning great respect from the artist himself.

He graduated third in his class in high school with a grade point average of a four point sixty-seven, received full tuition to his school of choice, and was planning on earning his doctoral degree in Marine Biochemistry so he could work at the Huntington Valley Center in California. It had always been his dream to work there, when he was younger.

The only thing he didn’t like about school prior to college was Luke Hemmings. He was a snarky boy who was just as advanced in his studies and musically talented as Michael, if not more. He always taunted and made fun of Michael whenever he had gotten the chance, but none of that bothered Michael after their second year in high school. The one thing that bugged Michael the most about Luke Hemmings was that _he_ was the class valedictorian who was receiving a full ride to Harvard. But Michael’s dream school was on the other side of the country, so he could happily say ‘good riddance’ to the boy who had tormented him for years.

Everything was going so well for Michael. He was attending University of California, Los Angeles and still maintaining a high grade point average while also being able to socialize with friends, especially his best friend named Calum Hood. He worked hard and was right on his way to becoming a doctor in marine biochemist. He was going to have the life that he always wanted.

However, as he was just starting his third year of college, his parents decided that they did not want to keep paying for Michael’s education. Their reasoning was because they wanted to start saving up for when they retired and they couldn’t do that when they were constantly paying for Michael’s needs.

Because of his parents’ decision, Michael no longer received money from his parents. He might have gotten his college paid for, but money didn’t cover anything but college. Basically, Michael couldn’t get anything necessary for him to live, not to mention miscellaneous things. It wasn’t like he could just find a job right after his parents decided to cut him off. He was in California, for crying out loud, and finding a job that suited him was scarce. Plus, he was also a full time student at one of the most prestigious schools in the country. He’d be killing himself if he were to get a job. Michael could work at some place that at least paid minimum wage, but his pride was too high for him to even consider working at the local fast food restaurant.

He still had some money on him, since he was smart enough to not be extravagant, but it was only enough for him to buy himself anything he actually needed. Unfortunately, Michael had to run out of money at some point, which resulted in him having to borrow money from Calum.

Halfway through the fall semester of his third year, Michael refused to take any more money from his best friend, so he decided to go out in search of a job. His pride, at this point, meant nothing to him if he couldn’t pay for things himself. He was desperate for a job, and he was willing to beg to any employer for one if it meant having food on the table instead of ramen or chimichangas.

It took Michael more than twenty job applications before someone from a restaurant finally decided to ask him to come in for an interview. Michael had made sure his resume was perfect and that he looked presentable. (He didn’t have his own suits, so he borrowed one from Calum.) On the day of the interview, he made sure that he was as composed as possible and that he could be as professional as could be. This was his first job interview ever, and he wasn’t going to mess it up for himself.

After a couple of days, he finally received an email from the manager, notifying Michael that he gotten the job as a busser and he would start the upcoming weekend. Unfortunately for Michael, he had midterms the following week and he needed to study, because he was so focused on getting a job that he put his classes aside. But he complied, knowing that he would have to if he wanted to keep the job.

For a while it was easy for Michael to juggle work with his classes, but then things were starting to go downhill as he started to get low scores on his tests and skipping class to attend work. His manager wasn’t understanding when it came to Michael’s schedule. He threatened Michael that if he didn’t come to work or was late for even a second, he would be fired immediately. Michael knew that there were better jobs out there, but he didn’t think that he would be able to get the job like he had gotten the one he had now. Besides, he was at least making money.

School got even more difficult for Michael due to him being unable to keep up with lectures, so Michael had made the biggest decision of his life: after he had enough money to buy his own apartment he chose to drop out of school. He made sure to pay Calum back the money before he officially packed up his things and left.

Ever since then, Michael had been on his own. He was a college dropout, living in a one bedroom apartment and working as a busser at a place that paid him minimum wage. He could only afford to pay for rent, food, and clothes if he really needed them, but other than that he could get nothing else.

He graduated high school as one of the top students in the class, went to his dream college, and was on his way to becoming a marine biochemist. But all of that changed when life took an unexpected turn, throwing him off course and into the life that he currently had. The dream he had for so long was now out of his reach.

Michael Clifford _had_ his life sorted out.


	2. Chapter 1

“Busboy!” called out Michael’s manager, Walter. “Clean up table thirty-four and reset it immediately!”

“Yes, sir,” Michael simply said, giving Walter a smile and picking up a busser tub and a wet rag before walking off, his smile immediately going away. “I hate this job.”

Michael went through the swinging doors and made his way over to the table he was told to clean. When he came towards the table, he realized that it was a large table that just served a group of football players that were celebrating a victory of a game they just had that evening. There was food all over the ground, cups were spilled, and one of the players decided it was a great idea to stick the tip under an upside down glass full of water.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Michael groaned, muttering under his breath as he proceeded to clear the table of plates and cups, leaving the upside down glass for last.

It wasn’t the first time the football team came into the restaurant and wreaked havoc. It was unfortunate for the restaurant that they were the go-to restaurant the football team would go to to celebrate. The players were rude to the people who worked there—especially to whomever was unlucky enough to be their server of the evening.

Tonight it was Ashton, one of Michael’s colleagues. Ashton was Michael’s mentor, despite only working at the restaurant three months longer than Michael. He had more patience than Michael did, which was a good asset to have as a waiter. (Michael took some patience lessons from Ashton, so the next time he dealt with customers who treated him like he was lower than dirt, he wouldn’t rip off their heads.)

Michael had been trying to find tricks to reverse the upside down glass so he wouldn’t cause a bigger mess, but Google wasn’t much help when it came to that. It only showed him how to flip the glass upside down, but never put it back to the way it was. So every time Michael had to clean the football team’s table, he would get water all over. That was why he dealt with it last—so he wouldn’t have much difficulty cleaning up the spill.

He braced himself for the water flow, lifting the glass and watching as the liquid went in all directions, some also getting onto the seats and the floor. Michael let out an annoyed sigh, cursing at the football team.

Once the table was wiped clean, the dishes were in the busser tub, and the seats and floor were dry, he began heading to the back of the restaurant in order to place the dirty dishes into the sink for the dishwasher to clean. Michael went to grab more napkins, plates, and silverware to set the table, but someone tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to turn around.

“There’s another table for you to clean,” said one of the waiters. “Can you get to it when you finish with what you’re doing?”

“Of course,” Michael said, sending him a tight smile. Then he went off to the previous table to set that up how he was taught to arrange it. He made sure that the table was perfectly made before he went off to the back again to get the busser tub and a wet towel.

“Excuse me,” a woman called and Michael looked over at her. “May I have more water?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Michael responded politely. “I’ll be right out to fill your glass.”

The lady thanked Michael and then he went to the back of the restaurant again. His eyes glanced over at the clock that was hanging up on the wall, sighing loudly. He still had two more hours before he was officially off his shift. He prayed that his boss wouldn’t make him work overtime. It had happened before, but he never got paid more for working extra hours. He once pointed that out to Walter, but that only angered his boss and got Michael threatened to losing his job. Since then, Michael never questioned it.

He honestly hated working under his employer, but he didn’t want to quit just yet. He was still in search of another job to work at, but no place was willing to hire him. In the meantime, he was going to work at the restaurant until he was sure he would get a job that had a better employer _and_ better pay.

Michael grabbed a pitcher filled with water and was about to make his way to where the lady was waiting for her refill until he heard someone yell out his position title.

During the time he was in the kitchen, he was told to carry orders for three different tables. Michael was able to balance two dishes on his arms while holding another dish and the water pitcher and he made his way to the door.

“Oh, let me help you!” Ashton called out, taking the two orders from on top of Michael’s arms.

“Thanks, Ash,” Michael said, smiling at his friend. “I was afraid I was going to drop those, and I’ve never dropped food while working here.”

“Trust me, you don’t want to.” Ashton motioned at the food he was holding. “What table?”

“The burger is for table twenty-five and the spaghetti is for table two.”

“Okay.” Ashton then left first and Michael mentally thanked Ashton for helping him carry the food.

Michael went to hand the dish in his hand to the designated table, announcing the name of the food and placing it before the customer who thanked him. After that, he went towards the table where the lady was waiting. He apologized for the long wait and thanked her for waiting as he filled her glass up.

“No problem,” the lady said. “Thank you.”

“Mhm.” Michael then left to the back so he could resume to cleaning the table, but he was stopped by Walter whose face was anything but pleased.

“There are tables that need to be cleared and ready for the next customers,” he growled. “Get to it, busboy.”

“Yes, sir,” Michael said, completely expressionless before his boss.

“They better be spotless or else I’m deducting from your paycheck.”

“Of course.”

Walter walked off, probably to scold another employee. Michael then muttered, “What a pain in the ass.”

He couldn’t wait for his shift to be over for the night.

-

“Your total is five dollars and thirty-three cents,” said the cashier to Michael as he bagged the items Michael was purchasing, which were a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese four pack and a twenty-ounce bottle of Dr. Pepper.

Michael pulled out money from his pocket and paid for his items with a five and two quarters, receiving is change and receipt after and told to have a wonderful evening. He took his bag of items and left the store, planning on heading back to his apartment and having a quiet and peaceful evening.

Thankfully, the store was across from the apartment complex that he lived in, so he didn’t have to walk for long late at night. He went past the gates that surrounded the building and then continued his way to the stairs so he could get to his apartment that was located on the third floor.

With his free hand, Michael ran his fingers through his messy brown hair. His hair was getting into his eyes again, so he mentally noted to himself that he would get a haircut.

He reached his apartment door and let out a sigh of relief. He dug through his pocket for his key, but felt nothing. He checked his other pocket and began panicking a little. He patted the back pockets of his jeans and sighed in relief when he found his key in the right back pocket.

Michael opened the door to his apartment and went inside, switching on the lights to reveal his living room. In the room was an old TV sitting on the floor, a comfortable plaid couch that had a large blanket, a coffee table with a small radio on top of it, and a clock hanging on the wall just above the television. Not having a lot of things in the living room made it appear larger than it really was, but Michael didn’t care. It was his home and his home alone.

The brunet kicked off his black, worn-out shoes, approached the couch, and set his items on top of the table so he could remove his grey jacket. He tossed it on top of the couch and picked up the television remote, switching on the TV so the evening news would play as background noise in his apartment.

Michael picked up his bag of things and made his way towards the kitchen. His living room floor was carpet, so when the flooring transitioned to tiles, Michael frowned at the cold feeling his sock-covered feet felt.

On top of the kitchen counter Michael put his macaroni and cheese and soda, taking out the drink and then the food. He ripped one of the containers out from the set and then went towards where the sink was. He followed the instructions that were labeled on the side of the macaroni and cheese container up to putting the food in the microwave and then made his way over the living room, grabbing the Dr. Pepper on his way there.

“... where the police are chasing the runaway car,” said the news reporter. “The car is currently going ninety-five miles per hour, and it is showing no sign of slowing down.”

Michael snorted, reading the words under the footage as he sat down on the couch and kicked on foot on top of the table. “There’s always somethin’ goin’ on at the five freeway,” he commented, twisting open his soda and saying before taking a sip, “People are crazy.”

He tuned out the news and leaned his head back against the couch, drinking a few gulps of his soda. He was completely exhausted and wanted to sleep right now, but his stomach was also telling him to eat something before going to bed. Some nights Michael would skip meals, but this wasn’t one of those nights. He hadn’t eaten since noon and it was almost midnight.

The sound of the microwave beeping made Michael groan and reluctantly get off the couch. He capped his drink and set it on top of the coffee table, going back to the kitchen where his dinner was waiting for him. He went over to the drawer where the eating utensils were located and pulled out a small spoon. He then walked to the microwave and opened it, seeing that his food was just about ready—it was only missing the cheese now.

Michael carefully took out the food and placed it on top of the kitchen counter next to the packet of cheese powder. He opened up the packet and began pouring all of the powder inside the container, setting the empty bag aside and mixing the cheese with the macaroni.

About ten seconds into mixing, the brunet heard his phone ringing loudly. He stopped what he was doing and proceeded to head to his room, finding his flip phone on the bed that was his mattress.

“I knew I left my phone at home,” Michael said to himself, recalling when earlier in the afternoon he needed to call Calum but couldn’t locate his phone on him. He couldn’t be bothered to walk all the way to Calum’s place, even though it wasn’t on the way from his apartment to work.

Glancing down at the caller ID, Michael read Calum’s name in his head before answering it.

“Hey, Cal,” Michael greeted. “What’s up?”

“ _I called you so many times today,_ ” Calum said. “ _Where were you?_ ”

“You know, here and there. Oh, and I forgot my phone at home, so that’s why I never answered your calls.”

Calum sighed. “ _Again? You need to remember to bring your phone. What if I called you and it was an emergency?_ ”

“Telling me to buy more Pringles is _not_ an emergency.”

“ _Okay, okay, you’re right. But seriously, one of these days I’ll call you for an emergency, for real._ ”

Michael laughed. “Whatever you say. Hey, I gotta go. My dinner is going to get cold if I stay on the line.”

“ _Brand or Great Value?_ ”

“Brand, and it’s macaroni and cheese. Okay, seriously, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. You need to go sleep. Don’t you start work at four?”

“ _Yes, but I finish at noon. I’ll pick you up afterwards and we can go out for lunch, okay?_ ”

“Okay. Good night, Cal.”

“ _Night, Mikey. Oh, and… take care of yourself._ ”

“You’re one to say.” Then Michael ended the call and went back out to the kitchen to finish mixing his small dinner so he could eat and then go to sleep.

-

Loud knocks on his door were what woke Michael up.

He opened his eyes groggily, finding himself staring up at the ceiling. He rubbed his tired eyes with the back of his hand before sitting upright, hearing the television that was quiet compared to what woke him up.

“I fell asleep on the couch again,” Michael said, stretching his arms out in the air and extending his legs outwards. He cracked his back and neck (and involuntarily his wrists, but they do that sometimes) before standing up and bending his knees, cracking those as well.

Michael glanced at the clock, seeing that it was already seven in the morning. The knocks on the door became more intense and Michael shouted, “I’m coming, I’m coming!”

He went to open the door and right there revealed the landlord who was a man shorter than Michael and looked like he was in his late thirties.

“Michael,” said he, “you know why I’m here, right?”

“To be the annoying alarm that I didn’t sign up for?” Michael said, earning a glare from the older man. “Sorry, sorry. It was a joke. Why, Mr. Hansen?”

Mr. Hansen sighed. “It’s been a week since your rent was due. I need the money now.”

“Of course, sir. I’ll get that to you soon. Just give me a few more days and I’ll be able to get your money.”

“Like I said, I need it _now_. I can’t keep extending the deadline whenever you’re unable to meet it.”

“Mr. Hansen, please,” Michael begged. “My boss is being a giant ass and he has been paying me less than when I started working for him.”

The landlord rested his hand on top of his forehead, his wide eyes looking down at the ground. He let out a heavy sigh before looking back at Michael. “Look, you have been living in this apartment for over a year. Every single time, your rent is late and I just cannot put up with that anymore.”

Michael went to protest, “But I—”

“I know how difficult it was for you when your parents cut you off; you’ve told me the story countless times. But it is time that you grow up and learn to meet the deadline.”

“Sir, I would really like to give you your rent money now, honest. But I need more time. A couple of more days and I'll pay you. Promise.”

Mr. Hansen shook his head, but not because he refused Michael’s plea.

“One week,” Mr. Hansen said. “That is all I am giving you. One damn week.”

Michael beamed. “Thank you so much, sir.”

“One damn week to find yourself a roommate.”

The younger boy’s smile faded and he furrowed his eyebrows. “A roommate?”

“Exactly. That way you two can have enough money to live here.”

“But this apartment is small! I-It’s cozy and homelike, but it’s small!” Michael ran his fingers through his hair to get it out of his eyes. “How am I going to share this place with another guy?!”

“Roommate or a better job. Otherwise, find another place to live in—a place preferably you can afford and pay your rent on time.”

Michael was left speechless as the landlord walked away without saying another word.


	3. Chapter 2

“A roommate?” Calum asked as he took a bite of his ham and cheese croissant sandwich.

“I know, right?” Michael groaned. “Ridiculous. How am I going to find a roommate in one week?”

Calum chewed the bitten food that was in his mouth before swallowing it. “I don’t know, man. Do you know anyone who’s looking for a place to stay?”

Michael shook his head. “No one. And you won’t move in with me!”

“Because your place is hella small and I have way too much stuff to fit in your tiny ass apartment.” Calum drank his apple juice from his glass and then set it down, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. “Why don’t you move in with me?”

“Because there’s only enough room for you and your stuff,” Michael said like it was the most obvious answer in the world. He shook his head. “Because your house’s worth is ten times more than my place. I wouldn’t be able to pay for half of the rent if I were to live with you.”

“I can pay—”

“And I refuse to let you pay for me. You’re not my sugar daddy.” Michael spun the metal spoon that was in his hot chocolate, not taking a sip from the mug. “I don’t even want a roommate.”

Calum furrowed his eyebrows. “Why not?” he asked. “You’re clearly struggling financially. Other people can tell just by what you’re wearing.”

Michael glared at his friend, getting defensive. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” When Calum just shrugged, Michael sighed. “I don’t want a roommate, because I want to be independent.” He pushed his drink aside and buried his face in his hands. “I don’t want to rely on someone else until I can support myself. It’s—It’s humiliating and it just proves that I’m useless in this world.”

Biting his bottom lip, Calum slowly reached across the table and rubbed his thumb against Michael’s arm. “Don’t think like that,” he said in a calming voice. “You’re not useless. Your life is just different than most people. It doesn’t hurt to ask for help once in a while. You asked me for help in the beginning and I was more than happy to help you.”

“But you’re different!” Michael exclaimed, looking at Calum now. “You’re always there to help a friend in need, but I don’t want to take advantage of you when I can work hard myself. Plus, I paid you back, because it didn’t feel right to take money from you.”

“You honestly didn’t have to. I’m always going to help my best friend. And you didn’t take money from me; I gave it to you.” Calum took his friend’s hands into his. “If you ever need me, I’m always going to be there for you. I’m always one phone call away.”

Michael smiled at his friend’s words before sudden realization struck him. “Crap! I left my phone at home again!”

Calum laughed. “Okay, when it comes to your phone, you’re no hope.”

Michael rolled his eyes before drawing his hands away from Calum, taking back his mug of untouched (now) warm chocolate. He drank a small sip of it while Calum drank away the rest of his juice and scarfed down his sandwich.

“When does work start?” Calum asked with a mouthful of food.

“Six,” Michael answered, sighing. “Evening is the busiest time at the restaurant, and I have to clean and set up tables for customers, carry out customers’ requests such as refilling their drinks, and bring out food to tables. Honestly, the job is so boring, but it’s the only one that’s willing to hire me.”

“Aw, my poor baby Michael.” Calum pouted. “You should work with me.”

Michael blinked. “You’re a detailer at a large company. You wake up at two in the morning to get ready for work and start your job at four.”

Calum thought about what Michael said. “Okay, but there are other positions where you won’t fuck up your sleep schedule.”

“As much as I hate my job, I think I’m okay with it.”

“Whatever you say.” Calum called over one of the waiters to bring in the check while Michael finished his drink. Once the waiter went off to grab the check, Calum exclaimed, “Flyers!”

Michael raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“We should make flyers! I’ll put down my phone number, because you never answer your flip phone.”

“Shut up,” Michael said with a laugh, picking up a napkin and throwing it at Calum.

Calum chuckled as well. “But I’m serious about the flyers.”

“I’m not going to put up flyers around the city for a roommate. It makes me sound desperate.”

“... Are you?”

“No! I can find a roommate myself! A week is plenty of time for me to find a roommate, okay? I don’t need your help.”

Calum just stared at Michael whose face displayed that he meant what he said. Giving up, Calum sighed and then leaned back in his seat. “Okay, I won’t help you. But if you get kicked out of your apartment, you can always move in with me.”

Michael snorted. “Yes, I’ll rent out the only space in your entire home called ‘the corner.’”

“Just for that comment, I’m making you pay for lunch.”

“Fine by me.” Michael pulled out his wallet, finding that he only had six dollars, but Calum quickly yelled out that he was joking and that he’d pay for his own food.

As the waiter brought back the bill, Calum said, “Now I feel bad for saying you have to pay.” He crossed his arms on top of the table and rested his head against them.

Honestly, Michael knew that Calum would never let his friend pay for him, but he wasn’t going to mention it. Instead, he said, “Then next time don’t say it.”

“Okay.”

After they paid for their food and Calum gave the waiter a tip, the two friends left the place to hang out until Michael had to go to work.

-

“Thanks for the ride, Cal,” Michael said as he opened the passenger door and stepped out. “I could’ve walked though.”

“It’s almost six and we were too far away for you to walk and make it to work on time,” Calum explained. When Michael closed the door, Calum rolled down the window and said, “Do you want me to pick you up?”

Michael shook his head. “I can walk. I don’t live too far from work.”

“All right, if you say so. Have fun at work!” Calum then rolled up his window and drove off without waiting for Michael to say anything else.

“I can’t have fun working, you idiot,” Michael mumbled, even though his friend was already gone. He proceeded to walk towards the restaurant front door before he was rudely shoved to the side by someone who was rushing out.

“Move it!” snapped the guy. 

“You move it! I’m walking here!” Michael yelled back. He usually would hold his tongue when he was working, but he wasn’t working right now. He wasn’t even inside the restaurant yet.

The other guy turned around and glared at Michael. “What’d you say to me?”

“You heard me!”

“You little—” The guy grabbed Michael by his shirt and yanked him forward until their faces were too close for Michael’s liking. “Who do you think you’re talking to?!”

“An asshole, obviously.”

“Oh, there you are!” a voice called out, causing Michael and the other guy to look towards the restaurant. There the two saw Ashton running out, heading over to Michael and grabbing his hand. “I’ve been waiting for you. Let’s go!”

“Wait, Ash! I—” Michael didn’t finish his sentence before he was dragged into the restaurant, the little fight between him and the other guy cut short thanks to Michael’s friend.

Once the two restaurant employees were in the backroom, Ashton let go of Michael’s hand and turned himself around, glaring at him and placing his hands on his hips.

“Now, Michael,” Ashton began, “what did I tell you about starting fights?”

Michael’s eyes widened as he protested,“But I didn’t—”

“No excuses! What did I tell you?”

The brunet just gaped at his friend and sighed in defeat, grumbling, “To not start fights with incompetent assholes.”

Ashton groaned. “That isn’t what I said. I told you: Be the better person and—”

“And not start fights with incompetent assholes.” Michael smirked.

“Michael! Seriously, you need to control yourself. Don’t let other people piss you off. Just—Just stay out of trouble, will you?”

Michael rolled his eyes. “Fine, whatever you say, _Father._ ”

“Ugh, don’t. I hate when you call me that.”

“Okay, Dadd—”

“Stop! That’s weird! Especially coming from you!” Ashton placed his hands over his ears and rushed off, repeating ‘I didn’t hear anything!’ over and over again.

Michael laughed at his friend’s reaction, but his laughter was cut short when he turned himself around and saw his manager glaring at him, arms crossed over his chest.

The brunet’s smile faded away and he began to say, “I, uh, I was just—”

“Quit dawdling and get to work,” Walter interrupted.

“Yes, sir,” Michael quickly said, getting away from his boss so he could start his shift.

Once he checked in, the brunet got himself an apron and hurried over to where the busser tub was sitting next to the sink, grabbing some clean towels that were folded on the shelf above it.

He heard someone tut-tutting and he turned his head, seeing Ashton carrying two plates of food to serve to a table.

“You got scolded again,” Ashton said as he stopped walking, shaking his head. “That’s what you get for not getting to work.”

Michael narrowed his eyes at his laughing friend who proceeded to walk away. Michael grabbed both ends of the towel in his hands and started twisting it. Once it was winded all the way, one hand let go and he smacked the open end against Ashton’s behind, the boy jumping a bit and squeaking at the pain.

“Does someone like getting his butt spanked?” Michael teased.

“Shut up, no I don’t,” Ashton snapped behind him. “Now hurry up and get back to work or else Walter’s gonna yell at both of us.”

The brunet just shrugged, his lips forming in a tight line as Ashton just glared at him, walking away so he could get back to work. Michael let out a small laugh before throwing the towel he used to hit Ashton back in the busser tub. He then picked up said tub and started heading out to where the tables were so he could look for something to do. He was going to have to put his five hours at work to good use.

-

“I’ll see you on Monday, Michael!” Ashton yelled out when he pulled his car up to the curb where Michael was walking, driving slowly. “You sure you don’t need a lift home?”

Michael nodded. “I’m only ten minutes away from home if I walk,” he explained. “See you next week.”

“Okay, bye!” Ashton rolled up his window and then started driving off. Michael pulled out his phone to check what time it was. He saw that it was already twenty minutes after eleven before pocketing his phone.

He felt his stomach growl and he stopped walking, placing a hand on his stomach. He frowned before letting out a sigh. “Better get me something to eat.”

The thing was, when Michael was on the clock he refused to take any breaks. They only lasted thirty minutes, but he felt that he could get so much done within those thirty minutes. If he wanted to stop working, he would have to not be on shift.

When Ashton told him that he needed to take a break from working, Michael turned away from his friend’s advice. This was his decision, and his friend should respect that, even if he didn’t agree with it. If Michael fainted while he worked, then it was his own problem—no one else’s.

His stomach rumbled again and Michael groaned. “Okay, okay! I’m gonna stop by 7-Eleven and grab something to eat. Just shut up already, jeez.” He smacked his stomach before he resumed making his way for the convenience store.

After purchasing himself two bananas and a box of instant noodles, Michael started heading home and he couldn’t wait to finally eat. He hadn’t eaten anything since he was with Calum earlier. Sure, instant noodles wasn’t exactly the best dinner to have, but it was better than not eating anything.

Once Michael got home, he grabbed his key from his pocket to unlock the door and then entered his apartment. He flicked on the lights and then slid out of his shoes before heading over to the kitchen where he saw three of the macaroni and cheese containers sitting on his counter. He blinked at it a few times.

“Oh, right.” he said. “I have mac and cheese.” He then shrugged it off before placing his purchases on top of the counter. “Oh well.”

He ripped open the instant noodles and filled up the bowl with water up to the fill-line. He threw in some of the oil, powder, and sauce as well, and then he placed the bowl into the microwave, just like what the instructions had said.

As he waited for his food to be finished, Michael went over to the television and switched it on, the news appearing on the screen and the voice of one of the news reporter talking about a man named Tom Ayto who was attacked by a woman wielding a baseball bat, as some witnesses said.

“The poor guy,” Michael said, shaking his head. “Hopefully he’s okay.”

“... the attacker, identified as Sheila Price, has not been found, but Ayto has been taken to the hospital after a witness dialed an emergency call,” said the news reporter.

Michael tuned out the rest of the news when he plopped down onto the couch, staring blankly up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes for a moment, listening to the news as it moved on from the Ayto incident to another story.

He could’ve sworn that he had only shut his eyes for five minutes, but when he woke up and checked his phone, he found that it was almost one in the morning.

“Crap,” he said, lazily getting up from the couch and staggering towards the kitchen where his dinner was coldly waiting for him. When he had pulled out the instant noodles from the microwave, he was grateful that they were still a little warm.

He proceeded to eat only the noodles with a fork, not bothering with the soup that had made his dinner soggy. Honestly, he didn’t even feel like eating anymore, but he already made the food, and he shouldn’t waste food—especially considering how much money he had on him.

After finishing the noodles, Michael dumped the rest of the food down the drain and tossed away the bowl. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and let out a yawn, stretching his arms up in the air. He went over to the couch where he had snoozed and saw that the television was now on some old show. He turned off the TV and switched off the lights, making his way to his bedroom.

He stripped out of his clothes until he was in nothing but his boxer shorts and then kicked the clothes he took off to the side. He spotted his phone on the bed and picked it up. He noticed that it only had one bar left, meaning he hadn’t charged it in a while. He hardly ever used his phone, so it wasn’t a surprise that he forgot to charge it.

Michael plugged his charger into an outlet and then began charging his phone. Once that was done, he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face so he could finally go to bed. However, he frowned when he found out he was running low on toothpaste.

As he was brushing his teeth, Michael mentally told himself to buy more toothpaste tomorrow. Thankfully, tomorrow was Sunday and Michael didn’t work on Sundays, so he had the whole day to himself.

Once he was ready to go to sleep, Michael turned off the bathroom lights and made his way to the bedroom, where the light was still on but shining dimly. He then shut off those lights and blindly made his way to the bed where he slid under the warm, comfortable blanket and wrapped it around himself, He placed his head on the soft pillow, closed his eyes, and evened out his breathing so he could finally go to sleep.

He did not get to live the life he always wanted—finished college, got his dream job, had a big house, and a person to spend the rest of his life with—and instead got a completely different life he had to deal with—a college dropout, was paid minimum wage, lived in a cheap apartment, and only had his two close friend. But despite all of that, he was at least grateful that he even _had_ a roof over his head, _had_ a job to support himself, and _had_ friends to support him.

It wasn’t what Michael wanted, but it was better than nothing.


	4. Chapter 3

“Aquafresh,” Michael said, holding the box of toothpaste in his hand.

“No, Michael. Colgate,” Calum said, grabbing another box of toothpaste and shoving it into Michael’s free hand.

“But Aquafresh is cheaper.”

“By nine cents!” Calum sighed and placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Colgate is just better than Aquafresh. It actually does some good with your teeth.”

Michael frowned. “Aquafresh always worked for me.”

“And Colgate will work better. Buy it. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll give you a dime.”

“No, you’re not giving me a dime.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll actually give you nine cents.”

“I don’t want your money, Calum!”

“It’s just nine fucking cents!”

“Can I help you, gentlemen?” one of the store employees said, breaking Michael and Calum away from their argument over toothpaste.

“No, we’re fine. Thank you,” Calum said, smiling apologetically at the worker who just said a brief ‘okay’ before leaving. He glared back at Michael. “I get you’re low on money and shit, but trust me: you want Colgate.”

“If I wanted Colgate, then why am I leaning more towards Aquafresh?” Michael snapped back, placing the Colgate toothpaste box randomly on the shelf and walking away.

“Okay, whatever. Your money, your teeth, your problem.” Calum just huffed in defeat and followed behind Michael, his hands in the pockets of his maroon jacket.

“I don’t know why you want me to get Colgate so badly,” Michael said. “You’ve known me for years and you know that I use Aquafresh.”

“If you wanted something cheap, then why didn’t you get a store brand toothpaste?” Calum asked.

Michael stopped walking, looked up to think for a moment, and then turned on his heels back to the toothpaste aisle.

“I was kidding!” Calum exclaimed, rushing past Michael so he was in front of him. “Okay, fine. Buy the Aquafresh one. Stick to what you like. I’m sorry.”

“Thank you,” Michael said with a smile, once again turning around so he could go buy the toothpaste officially.

Calum let out an annoyed sigh. “Okay, well, where do you want to go after?”

Running his fingers through his brown hair, Michael said, “Maybe get a haircut after. I haven’t gotten one in a while, and my hair’s getting too long.”

“I don’t know.” Calum shrugged. “I like your hair as it is.”

“It’s just inconvenient for me. I work in a restaurant, in case you’ve forgotten. I need to keep my hair short.”

“Your hair is fine.” Suddenly, Calum snapped his fingers like he had an idea. “Hey, you know what you should do? Dye your hair!”

“It costs too much money,” Michael whined. “Plus, I already dyed it once to _this_ color.” He pinched some strands of his dark brown hair in between his thumb and index finger. “It was a mistake. I spent money to change the color of my hair and now I’m going to become bald at thirty years old.”

Calum laughed. “Don’t exaggerate.” He placed his hand on Michael’s back, leading him to one of the cashier lines. “I’ll take you to get a haircut after we grab a bite to eat. Okay?”

Michael nodded. “Sounds like a good plan to me.”

-

The two friends were at the local diner where Michael got himself a glass of apple juice and a ham and cheese croissant sandwich and Calum ordered a glass of iced coffee and spaghetti and meatballs.

“So,” Calum began, “how’s looking for a roommate?”

Michael stopped chewing on his food, his eyes going wide. He completely forgot about looking for a roommate, and he was only given a week to do so.

“I-It’s going okay,” Michael lied after he swallowed down his food. “No one responded to me yet, but I’ll eventually find myself a roommate.”

Calum just nodded his head. “Okay. If you say so.” He stuck the fork in his spaghetti, twirled it around to collect some noodles, and then picked it up to eat his food. “You sure you don’t want my help? It’d be better if you had another person helping you find a roommate.”

“Very sure, Cal.” Michael resumed taking another bite of his sandwich and then took two large gulps of his apple juice. He then set the glass down and glanced over at Calum who was glaring at him.

“You’re not really looking for anyone, are you?” Calum said, narrowing his eyes at Michael. “You’re only given a week to find yourself a roommate, and you’re not using your time wisely.”

“If you’re telling me that I can’t do this alone, then you’re wrong. I don’t need your help, Cal,” Michael snapped.

“I wasn’t telling you to let me help you. I’m telling you to not waste your time.”

“I’ll find a roommate before the week is up, okay?” Michael finished the rest of his apple juice and then got up from his seat. “I’ll be right back. I’m heading to the restroom.”

Without waiting for his friend to say anything else to him, Michael walked off to the back of the diner where the restrooms were located. He went to the men’s restroom and glanced over at the five urinals, seeing that two guys were already there. One of them was at the first one while the other one was at the fourth urinal. Michael didn’t like the idea of having to stand next to a stranger as he did his business, but thankfully he didn’t need to use the restroom. He only went to wash his hands and face (and to also avoid Calum for a bit).

Michael went over to the sink and turned on the faucet. He let one hand go under the running water, his eyes going wide and immediately retracting it when the water was scalding hot.

Once he waited for the water to get cooler, he quickly washed his hands before waving his hands around to air dry them and then scurried out of the restroom, seeing Calum leaning back into his seat as he looked through his phone.

Sighing, Michael walked over to where his friend was sitting, catching Calum’s attention. The latter boy smiled, put his phone away, and said, “You finished?”

“Finished what?” Michael questioned, blinking.

“Eating.” Calum gestured to Michael’s plate. “I don’t want to keep on hogging this table. I’m already done eating.”

“Oh. Um, not yet.” He sheepishly sat himself down and proceeded to finish his lunch before Calum finally called one of the waiters over to bring in their bill. The two paid for themselves and then left the diner. “Where are we heading to?”

“Well, let’s just head over to my house first and relax there. If you want, you can take a nap. I think you need to sleep more.”

“I get plenty of sleep,” Michael retorted. “It’s you who needs to fix his sleeping schedule.”

“It’s not my fault I have an overnight shift.” Calum wrapped an arm around Michael’s shoulder, pulling the latter boy closer to him. “Come on, we can sleep together.”

“Ew, no.” Michael pushed Calum away. “I’m not sleeping with you.”

“For the love of God, I meant _literally_ sleep together! Man, your mind is dirtier than the sewage.”

Michael scoffed and slapped his friend’s chest before walking ahead of Calum. “I’m going home. I don’t like you. You’re not my friend anymore.”

Calum laughed before catching up to Michael and tugging at his arm,keeping him from walking any farther. “No, don’t be like that. You know you love me and don’t mean that.”

Michael turned himself around and glared at Calum. “You still are horrible.”

“But you love me.” Calum grinned cheesily.

Rolling his eyes, Michael sighed. “Yeah, whatever. Let’s just go.”

-

Michael ended up taking a nap on Calum’s bed, but he used up the entire room on the bed, despite Calum having a queen bed. Calum also took a nap, but because of Michael hogging the bed, pillows, and blankets, he ended up having to sleep on the couch that was on the other side of the room.

Eyelids that felt heavy to Michael fluttered open, his vision slightly blurry. He stretched his arms out, letting out a low groan before sitting up and rubbing at his sleepy eyes. He looked over at where Calum was curled up in a ball, a stuffed polar bear held tightly in his arms. Michael smiled, because Calum was so peaceful and not the annoying loud mouth when he was asleep.

He slowly got out of bed and then cracked his neck from side to side before walking over to the bathroom that was connected to Calum’s room.

Sometimes, Michael didn’t understand why Calum bought such a big house when he was the only one that was going to live in it. Sure, he had a crapload of stuff that he most likely forgot he even owned until Michael would ask why he had it if he didn’t use it, but that didn’t mean he had to get himself a place with four bedrooms and two stories. It wasn’t like Calum was going to invite a bunch of people every single time to stay the night at his place. Besides, he mostly invited Michael over, but even then Michael would take up the bed and Calum would stay on the couch (and yet, Calum was perfectly okay with that).

After Michael did his business and washed his hands, he returned to the bedroom to see that Calum was still sound asleep. He went back over to the bed and sat down, just tiredly gazing at everything around him.

His eyes took notice of a stack of papers that were underneath two large books. The only reason why it caught his eye was because one of the papers was sticking out and he saw what looked like a map.

Standing up, Michael went over to the paper and pulled it out, looking at what was printed on it. When he realized what he was holding in his hands, his hands gripped the paper even harder, almost tearing it in half.

He was holding a flyer that said “Looking For a Roommate!” on top of it.

Michael crumpled up the flyer and chucked it in Calum’s direction, hitting him right on the forehead. Anger was boiling inside Michael when the ball of paper made its way to the ground and he shouted, “Calum Thomas Hood!”

Immediately, Calum shot up, his hold on the teddy bear gone as the stuffed animal fell to the ground. Now wide awake, Calum’s brown eyes looked over at his obviously upset friend.

“What is it?” Calum asked. “Did something happen?”

“What the fuck is this?!” Michael exclaimed, grabbing the stack of papers and storming over to Calum, furiously plopping the stack onto Calum’s lap. “I thought I told you that I didn’t need your help! I still don’t need it! I can find a roommate myself!”

“Oh.” Calum just let out a yawn and rubbed at his sleepy eyes before turning his attention back to Michael. He calmly spoke, “Michael, I made those just in case you weren’t able to find a roommate. I didn’t post them anywhere yet.”

“You’re missing the point! I told you that I don’t need your help, yet you go ahead and make these flyers behind my back!” Michael then went back to the bed and immediately buried himself underneath the blanket so that way he wouldn’t have to look at his friend.

“Mikey.” Calum stood up from where he was and walked over to his bed, sitting on the edge of it and placing his hand on Michael’s side. He began rubbing small circles against the blanket as he said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I’ll treat you to ice cream. How does that sound?”

Michael said nothing.

“Do you want ice cream? Or at least tell me what I can do to make it up to you.”

Calum still got nothing. He sighed and thought for a moment, trying to figure out what he could do for Michael so he could get his forgiveness.

Finally, an idea hit him and he grinned, saying, “Do you want to go see some pets?”

Slowly, Michael peeked from underneath the blanket, his green eyes looking up at his friend’s brown ones. “Even the puppies?” Michael asked.

“ _Especially_ the puppies.”

Michael went under the blanket again, as if he was having a secret meeting with himself to debate whether or not he should go see the puppies.

Eventually, he concluded that visiting the puppies was- worth forgiving Calum, so he got out of the bed and got onto his feet, saying to his friend, “Let’s go visit the puppies then.”

“And get ice cream,” Calum added, but Michael shook his head.

“I don’t want ice cream.”

Calum frowned. “Okay, I guess we can just visit the puppies—”

“I want frozen yogurt.”

-

Michael kept fidgeting in his seat as he and Calum got closer to their destination. He really liked visiting the puppies. It made him feel better about life, because of how happy the puppies were. Regardless of everything that was happening around them, they were always looking on the positive side of things. Plus, they were freaking adorable.

Sitting inside the cage with his legs crossed, Michael picked up a Bichon Frise that approached him and watched as its tongue hung at the side of its mouth, panting with a smile.

Michael couldn’t help but smile himself. “So cute,” he commented. “I just want to take you home with me.”

Once he said that, a Bolognese ran its tiny legs over to Michael, jumping into his lap and making the brunet awe at its adorableness.

“I want to take you home, too!” Michael exclaimed, placing the Bichon Frise down and picking up the second puppy. When he did that, more puppies started coming closer to him, placing their forepaws on him. Michael almost squealed in excitement. “I want to take you all home!”

Calum chuckled as Michael giggled when half of the puppies were licking at him. Whenever he took Michael out to see the puppies, that was when his friend was the happiest. It was when all of his problems disappeared from the world for a while, thanks to the miracles known as puppies.

From the corner of his eye, Calum noticed that there was a Shiba Inu lingering lying quietly at the corner of the cage. Its head was resting in between its arms and it didn’t look like it was going to be making any attempt to join the other puppies that were with Michael. It had half moon eyes, and Calum knew what those meant.

As much as Calum wanted his friend to take notice of the puppy, he knew that the Shiba Inu just wanted to be left alone, so he didn’t say or do anything about it.

However, he didn’t have to, because Michael noticed the puppy sighing heavily in the corner. Whatever puppies he was holding he put back down on the ground before he crawled over to where the Shiba Inu was. All the dog did was look over at Michael, but did nothing else.

“What’s wrong, little guy?” Michael asked. “You’re usually not like this.”

“The poor pup is missing his best friend,” said one of the workers that approached the cage. “A customer came in and bought one of the puppies two days ago. Just so happened to be the only puppy he interacted with. He’s been like this ever since.”

Michael’s eyes widened as he looked around the cage, noticing that the Shih Tzu—the Shiba Inu’s best friend—was nowhere to be found. Michael’s heart ached; he didn’t know what it was like to be separated from his best friend forever, but he could imagine how much it would hurt.

“Poor baby,” Michael said with a pout. He gently stroked the Shiba Inu’s back. “Don’t worry. One day I’ll take you home.”

“Michael, you’re not taking all of the puppies home,” Calum said. “You hardly have enough money for one, let alone all of them.”

Michael glared at his friend. “I know I can’t take all of them home. It’s just this one in particular.” He patted the sad puppy’s head. “He’s the one I want.” The Shiba Inu raised its head slightly and Michael smiled. “I’ll give this puppy a new home.”

“Not unless someone beats you to it,” Calum spoke under his breath.

Annoyed at Calum’s response, Michael picked up one of the chew toys and chucked it at his friend’s danger zone. Calum yelped in pain as Michael snapped, “Don’t you dare say that! I’m doing my best to get enough money to bring this little guy home.”

The next thing Michael knew, the Shiba Inu had climbed into his lap and rested there while the other puppies were at the other side of the cage piling on top of each other. Michael petted the puppy in his lap as it slept for a bit.

“Does your landlord even allow pets?” Calum asked, his voice cracking a bit before he cleared his throat.

“I’m sure Mr. Hansen won’t mind,” Michael answered. “And even if pets weren’t allowed, he wouldn’t find my puppy.”

“He’s not your puppy yet—”

“Fuck you, Calum.” Michael picked up the Shiba Inu and set it down, the small puppy gazing up at Michael as he stood up. He smiled down at the dog and said, “I’ll see you another time. I have to go.”

“Maybe next time you’ll be able to adopt him,” said the employee as he grinned. “I’m sure living with you will make him feel a whole lot better again.”

“Maybe.” Michael stepped out of the cage and then grabbed Calum’s hand. “Let’s go get frozen yogurt now.”

“Okay, because I could really go for some right now,” Calum said as he let his friend lead him out of the building and to the car. Once the two friends got into the car, Calum started the engine and began driving out of the parking lot and into the street.

The entire time, Michael’s mind was focused on the Shiba Inu. The first time he walked into the store and saw the puppy, he immediately knew that he was the one he wanted to adopt and take care of. Michael didn’t know what it was about the puppy, but something about the Shiba Inu stood out to him. The puppy needed a home, and Michael swore that he was going to give him one.

“I think,” Michael whispered to himself, “I’m gonna name him... Mochi.”


	5. Chapter 4

“Why is your frozen yogurt so plain?” Calum asked when he gazed inside Michael’s frozen yogurt cup. “All you got is red velvet and chocolate. No toppings or anything.”

“Because adding more stuff to it costs money,” Michael explained. 

“Wait, seriously?” Calum’s eyes looked over to his cup that held his dessert that was filled with M&Ms. “That explains so much. Like, why does mine always cost more than yours?”

Michael laughed, taking a bite out of his frozen yogurt. “You’re an idiot sometimes. I don’t even know how you even made it into college.”

“Hey.” Calum pointed his pink plastic spoon at Michael. “I’m smart _academically_. If it weren’t for my grades and my extra-curricular activities crap, I would have never gotten to UCLA.”

“Yeah, but you’re still an idiot.”

“Oh, shut up and finish your ice cream.”

“Frozen yogurt—”

“I said shut up.”

Michael just shook his head as he continued to finish his dessert. He was rather amused at the expression his friend was making. Calum looked like he was sulking as he took a bite out of his frozen yogurt every few seconds.

By the time the two friends were finished with their dessert, Michael heard his phone ring. Yes, _his_ phone. He remembered to bring it with him this time, and he was proud of himself. Even Calum nodded in approval when he saw his friend pull out his phone sheepishly.

When he gazed down at the number on his screen, he saw that it was his boss, whose name on the phone is ‘Asshole.’ He sighed and then looked up at Calum before showing him the screen.

“Go ahead and take it,” Calum said. “This is one of those rare times you get to answer your phone in public, because you remembered it this time.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Michael snapped, standing up and walking outside of the frozen yogurt shop. He opened up his phone and pressed the green button, bringing his phone up to his ear. “Yes, sir?”

“ _You need to come to work tonight,_ ” Walter said.

Michael’s eyes bugged out. “Are you serious? It’s my day off!”

“ _I know that, but we are short on staff. And the thing is, we need waiters. I know you’re just a busboy, but just for the evening you’ll have to be a waiter. I’m sure you know what to do, right?_ ”

Of course, Michael knew what to do. He had watched the actual waiters how to do their job, mostly Ashton. Plus, he really did need the money, despite not wanting to work today. His needs were more important.

“Whatever, I’ll go. What time do you want me to be there?” he asked, glancing at the clock and seeing that it was almost five.

“ _In an hour would be great,_ ” Walter answered. “ _You will be given a uniform to wear for your shift._ ”

Then the call ended. Michael pocketed his phone after closing it before walking back into the shop where Calum was waiting for him. The table no longer had the empty cups that used to have the frozen yogurt inside, meaning Calum most likely threw them away while Michael was on the phone. The only thing left on the table was the plastic spoons.

Michael raised an eyebrow. “You want to keep the spoons?”

“They’re adorable,” Calum said, picking up a blue one and holding it up for Michael to see. “This one is my favorite.”

“Okay... Well, I have to be at work in an hour. I’m sorry we can’t continue hanging out today. Do you think you can—”

“Drive you there? Of course, my lovely best friend. We can always hang out another time.” Calum stood up from his seat and turned Michael around before leading him out of the shop and towards his car.

-

Michael pouted when he looked at himself in the full length mirror. He was wearing a white dress shirt with a black vest over it and a black bowtie at the collar and black dress pants and shoes to match. He didn’t like how he looked, but the waiter uniform was a lot better than wearing a busboy uniform.

“I look stupid,” he still said. He wished he could just wear his usual attire. Too bad there was a dress code at work, and he must follow it.

Sighing, he reached down to where his phone was resting on the ground and then proceeded to call Ashton who was most likely working at a small shop his mom owned. Ashton had Sundays off from being a waiter, but he still took time out of his life to help his mom.

After the fourth ring, Michael heard Ashton say, “ _Good evening, Michael._ ”

“Evenin’, Ash,” Michael said, cracking a small smile despite no one seeing him. “I need help.”

“ _And what help may I offer you?_ ”

“Waiter help.” Michael glanced down at his uniform when he said that.

“ _Now? Can’t this hold until tomorrow when we’re actually working?_ ”

“No, it cannot.”

It was silent on Ashton’s end of the line, but then a loud gasp sounded, making Michael draw the phone away from his ear. “ _Are you working right now?!_ ” Ashton exclaimed happily. “ _Are you a waiter? Is that why you called me?!_ ”

“I’m only filling in the position for tonight. Then afterwards I’m back to being a busboy.” Michael smoothed out the end of the dress shirt. “And I look stupid. How did you pull off this unappealing outfit?”

“ _I learned to deal with it. And I’m sure you don’t look bad at all. You’re just not used to yourself in the uniform._ ”

“I mean, I guess? A-Anyway, can you refresh my memory as to how I should act? How do I be nice? What if a customer is being an ass to me? What if I forget to mention the dinner special? What if—”

“ _You’ll be fine, Michael. Trust me._ ” Ashton let out a sigh before saying, “ _Look, I have to go. I went to the backroom to talk to you and my mom is by herself. I don’t know why so many people choose now to buy lottery tickets. It’s a Sunday! No winning numbers are being drawn today! Well, none that anyone actually cares about... Anyway, I’ll talk to you later tonight after you and I get off work. Okay?_ ”

Michael gulped. “Y-Yeah.”

“ _Good. Remember to smile, control your temper by doing the small exercise I told you about—Oh! And Sunday night’s dinner special is the Chicken Tillamook Cheddar Mac._ ”

“Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye,”

“ _Bye-bye. Wait, Michael!_ ”

Before he could hang up, Michael raised a questioning brow at his phone before bringing it back up to his ear. “Yes, Ashton?”

“ _Take a picture of yourself. I’m curious as to what you look like._ ”

Michael laughed. “Like fuck I’m gonna do that.” He then hung up, threw his phone into the locker where his own clothes were, closing that locker and then heading out to start his very first shift as a waiter.

As he was heading out, he ran into Walter who stopped him in place and said in a demanding tone, “You. Move your bangs out of your face. This is a restaurant I’m running, not a scenester club.” He then walked away and Michael just rolled his eyes before pushing his hair out of his face.

“Haircut, right,” he said to himself, remembering he was supposed to get a haircut earlier that day but didn’t get to.

Michael turned his attention to the restaurant before him and his green eyes surveyed the whole place. The place was really packed and most of the people at the tables were already eating their dinners that were brought out by other waiters and waitresses.

He noticed that there was a group of what looked like high school students sitting at a large table. They were looking through their menus while also talking loudly among each other. Michael felt a tap on his shoulder and then he turned himself around.

“You wanna be those kids’ waiter?” said the waitress who had gotten Michael’s attention, using her head to gesture over to the high schoolers. “I’m about to clock out, so can you take my place please?”

“Oh, uh, sure,” Michael said.

“Hey, aren’t you usually the busboy?”

“Um—”

“Well, I trust you know what you’re doing. Good luck.” She gave him a pat on the shoulder before she went over to the group of high schoolers to inform them that Michael was going to serve them for the rest of their time at the restaurant.

Michael took in a deep breath before letting it out. Then he said to himself, “Here goes nothing,” as he walked over to the table. “Good evening. My name is Michael and I will be serving you for the rest of the evening.”

“‘The rest of the evening’?” asked a guy with messy blond hair, raising an eyebrow before smirking. “So, like, you’d come back to my place and still serve me?”

Everyone at the table chuckled, but the brunette who sat next to the guy gasped before smacking him in the arm. “Lance, don’t say that!”

“Hey, I was just asking a harmless question, Jolene. Calm yourself.”

“Anyway,” Michael began, keeping his face expressionless, “are you all ready to order or will I give you more time?”

“Give us more time, please,” Jolene said, glancing at Michael. “Oh, and may I please have a refill of my water?”

“Certainly. I will be right back with your water.” He then left and then grumbled once he was out of earshot, “This is going to be an excruciating night.”

-

Michael was more than happy to get out of his work uniform and back to his usual attire. Being a waiter exhausted him; he felt as if he should honestly give props to Ashton for putting up with this for a long time. Michael would have given up after a week, but not before socking an asshole in the face.

He didn’t even take a break, despite when his growling stomach yelled at him to eat something. Even after work he was too tired to eat. All Michael wanted to do was go to sleep once he got home.

When Michael started to head home, he pulled out his phone and went to contacts to find Ashton’s name. He then pressed the green button and brought the device up to his ear.

Ashton picked up two rings later and said, “ _Hello, my beautiful waiter friend, you._ ”

“Shut the fuck up,” Michael grumbled as he placed one warm hand on his cold face.

“ _Really? That’s the first thing you tell me when you were the one who called me? Wow, I can really feel the love, Michael._ ”

“And you’re annoying.”

“ _You don’t really think that._ ” Ashton laughed and then asked, “ _So how was work? Did you have fun?_ ”

“No. I do not like being a waiter. It’s too much work.”

“ _How? All you have to do is take people’s orders, give the cooks the customers’ orders, and serve the people. Plus, you get tipped!_ ”

“There was this one group of girls that didn’t tip me, just because they didn’t find me cute,” Michael grumbled, kicking at the pavement beneath him.

“ _Well, forget them! There are plenty of other customers who are generous tippers, trust me. Don’t let one group get you down._ ”

“A couple was disgruntled with their food they basically finished and demanded that their dinner be free.”

“ _Did the woman have blond hair with a little pink bow in it and did the guy mention as he was ordering his food about how he’s a part of a supposedly successful company located in Maldives?_ ”

Michael raised an eyebrow. “I guess I can assume that they’ve attempted this stunt before.”

Ashton laughed. “ _Every single time they walk into the restaurant. I happened to be one of their victims and they swore to never come back when I told them I couldn’t send back the food since they basically licked their plates clean, but they would just keep coming back every once in a while to do the same thing over and over again. They have yet to succeed, which will never happen, because the waiters and waitresses are smart enough to know how to deal with people trying to get free food. I think they’ve been at this for an entire month already._ ”

“I see, I see.”

“ _And how did my favorite waiter handle the situation?_ ”

Michael rolled his eyes. “I told them I would get the manager and when I did, Walter told them that they were not allowed to leave without paying for their food, otherwise he’ll call the cops.”

“ _Hm._ ” Ashton paused. “ _For once I’m grateful for Walter._ ”

“I feel you.”

For the rest of the way home, Michael just continued to talk about his experience as a waiter for the first time with Ashton. Sometimes Ashton would add in some small tips and advice for his friend, in case Michael had to perform the job of a waiter again. Ashton even promised to visit Michael while he was working as a waiter, making Michael yell at him to dare not do such a thing.

By the time Michael got to the door of his apartment, he said to Ashton, “Okay, well I just got home and I want to go sleep now. I’ll see you tomorrow at work. _As a busboy._ ”

“ _All right, all right,_ ” Ashton said, chuckling a little bit. “ _Have a good night rest. Sweet dreams, and I’ll see you tomorrow, Michael._ ” Then Ashton hung up.

Michael pocketed his phone and pulled out his keys, unlocking the door and walking inside. He closed the door behind him and didn’t even bother turning on the lights as he tried to make his way over to the bedroom, only for him to walk right into the couch and fall face first into the cushions.

He was too lazy to get up, so he decided that he was going to crash on the couch once again.

The night was cold, but the apartment was really warm, so he decided to remove some of his clothes until his body had air to breathe. Eventually he was only wearing his boxer shorts as he kicked the rest of his clothes onto the ground. When he began to feel cold again, Michael blindly searched around for his large blanket before finally feeling the familiar texture of polyester. He laid the blanket on top of him and snuggled into it, letting himself relax as he drifted off to sleep.

-

“Michael, you should totally dye your hair again,” Calum said to his friend who was sitting in one of the styling chairs and waiting patiently for one of the barbers to come to him.

“No,” Michael said, glaring at Calum. “I don’t need to do anything unnecessary to my hair. Just a trim will do.”

“But you’d look really hot with your hair colored something other than brown.”

“So? I don’t care what I look like.” He readjusted himself in his seat. “I just want to get through the day.”

“Maybe you should do, like, a galaxy pattern with your hair. Oh! Or you can make your hair black and white!”

“I’m not doing that.”

Calum ran his fingers through his hair. “Or you can keep it simply one color. Like, red or blue.”

“Are you even listening to yourself?! Why don’t you get your own hair dyed?”

“I will legit dye my hair pink if you do something with your hair. No lie.”

One of the male barber employees stepped up to Michael’s chair and said, “Good afternoon, sir. What would you like today?”

“Can I just have my hair trimmed? Two inches is fine,” Michael said. “Oh, and my friend there would like his hair dyed pink.”

Calum’s jaw dropped. “Only if you dye your hair.”

One corner of the barber’s mouth turned up slightly. “We do not have pink, but I can certainly dye your hair red. But we would need to bleach your hair first.”

“I don’t want to dye my hair!”

Michael bit back a laugh as the barber seemed confused before turning his attention back to his current client and getting started, placing the maroon cape gown on Michael.

While the barber was trimming Michael’s hair, Calum was casually ranting on about work—mostly about how one of the workers at Vons tried to get him to do their work even though he was only supposed to work with merchandise from the company he was working for.

Once in a while Michael would glance at his reflection and pout as snippets of his hair would fall to the ground. He needed a haircut, but he was going to miss his hair being longer than it was going to be.

“And then the guy threatened to get the manager and kick me out of the store!” Calum exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air for emphasis. “Can you believe the nerve of the guy?”

Before Michael could say anything, the barber scoffed and said. “What a jerk.”

“I know, right?!” Calum grinned and then said, “Thanks, Javier.”

“It’s Ricky.” He cut one final piece of Michael’s hair before setting the scissors down and reaching under the large mirror to grab a much smaller mirror. He held it up behind Michael’s head so that way Michael could take a look.

Biting his bottom lip, Michael turned his head from side to side to check out his new hairstyle. With a nod, he said. “Looks good.” Even though he felt it could be shorter, he didn’t want to miss any more of his hair.

“Okay, then,” said Ricky as he sweeped off any hair on the cape gown before removing it from Michael. “Just step over to the register, please.”

Michael stood up and Calum followed suit, the two walking over to the register. After Michael paid, he and Calum thanked Ricky before leaving the store.

Running his fingers through his hair, Michael let out a sigh and said, “Does this look okay, Cal?”

“What are you talking about?” Calum questioned, tilting his head to the side. “It doesn’t look okay.”

“R-Really?”

Calum rolled his eyes. “Your hair is great! Don’t worry about it. You look great.”

Michael gave his friend a small smile. “Thanks. Um, can we walk to my house so I can take a shower?”

“Sure.” After a moment of silence Calum said, “You know, I could have driven both of us here from your house. You live, like, a mile away. That’s kinda far.”

“Not really.” Michael shrugged. “It’ll only take us half an hour at most. Besides, I feel like we should walk every once in a while.”

“But I like to drive.” Calum pouted.

“And that costs money. Walking is free of charge.”

“But walking costs time, and that’s something you can’t get back, whereas you can at least get more money.”

Michael frowned. “I can’t believe we’re having this conversation.” He ruffled his brown hair, seeing some strands of hair falling to the ground.

“I can see your blond roots, Michael.” Calum stuck his arm out, causing Michael to come to a halt and look up at him with curious green eyes. “I think we should go back and get your hair done again.”

“No.” Michael shook his head. “So what if it goes back to blond? I don’t need to get my hair redone.”

“I really think you should dye your hair red.”

“Shut up, Calum.” Michael shoved Calum’s arm back at him before walking ahead, leaving his friend behind.

“I’m serious! You’d look so good.” Calum jogged to catch up to Michael before slowing his pace once he was next to his friend.

Michael forced a small laugh. “I’m serious, too! There will be no dyeing my hair.”

Calum jutted his bottom lip out before saying in defeat, “Okay, fine.”

“But feel free to turn your hair pink for all I care.”

“Like I said, only if you do it.”

“Fat chance of that happening.”

“It could though, Clifford.”

“Keep on dreaming, Hood.”

-

Michael was once again working as a busboy at the restaurant (much to Ashton’s disappointment), and throughout his shift he was sour. Putting on his best front for the customers had been extremely difficult for him, and it didn’t help when some of them were rude to him in the first place.

When Michael was by the sink dumping used plates and glasses in there, he felt a hand grip his arm. Groaning in frustration, he turned himself around to face Ashton.

“What’s up with you tonight?” Ashton questioned, eyeing his friend’s grumpy expression. “You’ve been in a bad mood the moment you walked through the door.”

“I’m annoyed,” Michael answered, returning to his duties.

“Obviously. What’s the reason for you attitude?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“It is when you’re not giving the customers top-tier service because you’re letting whatever personal issue you have affect your work.”

Sighing, Michael finally emptied the busser tub and then looked straight into Ashton’s eyes. “It’s my friend. On our way here, he asked me something I was not happy to hear, and my answer only led to something that pissed me off.”

“And that is?” Ashton used his hands gestures to show that he wanted Michael to continue on.

Michael’s bottom lip was tugged back by his teeth. Once he released it, he said, “My landlord is gonna kick me out of my apartment if I don’t get a roommate soon. My friend asked me if I was looking for a roommate, to which I assured to him that I was. Then it went to a lecture about how I shouldn’t wait until the last minute where I’ll have no time to find myself a roommate and then get kicked out of my apartment.”

Ashton blinked at Michael, tilting his head to the side. “You’re looking for a roommate?”

Michael nodded. “I have a week to do so.”

“Dude, why don’t you just move in with me? I mean, I still live with my mom, but she needs someone to look out for her. I don’t think she’ll mind if a friend of mine lives with us.”

“I don’t want to burden you guys. I am perfectly capable of finding myself a roommate, and I refuse to move in with either you or Calum.”

“Calum?”

“My numbskull of a friend.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” Michael held the tub in his arms. “I’m going to go back to work. You should too, or else we’ll both get yelled at for slacking off.”

“Fix your attitude first,” Ashton said before walking off.

“No promises,” Michael mumbled.


	6. Chapter 5

On his way home from work, Michael felt his phone ringing in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that it was Calum calling him.

He was debating whether he should answer it or not, mainly because he was still upset with his friend about earlier. But if Calum was calling him for something important and he didn’t pick up, then Michael wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.

Pressing the green button, he brought the phone up to his ear and said, “Yeah, Calum?”

“ _Where are you?_ ” Calum asked.

“I just got off work. I’m heading home right now. Why? Shouldn’t you be asleep now?”

“ _I called off work for tomorrow. Anyway, I was watching the news a few hours ago and it said that there’s some gang war going on around the area right now. I’m gonna pick you up. What are the nearest cross streets to you?_ ”

“Um—” Michael glanced around “—Wilkins and Westwood.”

“ _There’s a convenience store there, right?_ ”

“Yeah, there is. A 7-Eleven.”

“ _Wait there. I’ll be there in five minutes._ ”

“Oka—”

“ _And stay on the line!_ ”

“Okay, okay!” Michael continued to walk in the direction of the convenience store while every once in a while Calum would ask if Michael was okay while the two were having small talk.

Eventually, Michael got to the store and went over to the wall, leaning against it. He then told Calum, “I’m here. Where are you?”

“ _Almost there. Just got stuck behind some slow ass car,_ ” Calum said.

“I’m waiting for you outside. It’s kinda cold though.” Michael rubbed one arm with his free hand.

“ _Then go inside and be warm,_ ” Calum said. “ _Actually, I’m almost there, so don’t go inside. Give me another twenty seconds._ ”

Michael sighed. “You’re pretty bossy, huh?” He then proceeded to count up to twenty, causing Calum to tell him to not count aloud.

Passing twenty but still counting, Michael had gone up to sixty-four before he saw Calum’s car pull up into the small parking lot.

Michael watched as Calum put the car in park and unlocked the doors. Michael rolled his eyes and hung up his phone, pocketing it and walking over to the passenger’s side.

He opened the door and commented, “You’re late.”

“Shut up,” Calum grumbled as the other boy sat down and shut the door after him, putting his seatbelt on. Calum then proceeded to drive out of the lot.

“You know, I would’ve been fine walking home by myself. I mean, I haven’t gotten jumped yet, right?”

“I’m not taking any chances. Just for saying that, you’re sleeping over at my house.”

Groaning in annoyance, Michael slouched in his seat. “Just take me home, you idiot.”

“Either you stay at my place or I stay at yours. There’s no in between.”

“How ‘bout I go home and you can go fuck yourself?”

“At your house?”

“God, no!” Michael groaned and slapped his forehead. “You’re so annoying. Whatever, fine. Let’s go to your place.”

Calum just looked gleeful the entire trip to his place while Michael was wondering why he even let his friend kidnap him like this. He loved the guy, but honestly he could be a thorn to the side.

Michael leaned his seat back so he could be in a more comfortable position before taking a nap in Calum’s car. The drive wasn’t long, but Michael had nothing better to do and he most certainly didn’t feel like talking to Calum at the moment.

Ten minutes of driving and the two finally arrived at Calum’s place. Michael was still upset that he was forced to spend a night with Calum. He didn’t know why his friend was so paranoid when it came to crime-related activities. What were the odds that either one of them would have actually been jumped anyway?

Michael and Calum got out of the car and walked over to Calum’s front door, Calum pulling out his home key and unlocking the door. He opened the door and let an annoyed Michael in before following after him, closing the door afterwards.

Huffing, Michael tossed his bag towards where the couch was, plopping himself right on top of the furniture and throwing his arm over his eyes. He could hear Calum approach him, to which he responded with, “You’re an annoying twat, you know that?”

“I’m not even going to apologize,” Calum said. “I think it’s better that we’re safe than sorry. I get you’re upset, but I’m trying to be a good friend here and look out for you.”

“I don’t need to be looked out for, Calum. I am capable of looking out for myself.”

“That’s debatable.”

Michael frowned and kicked at Calum before standing up. “I’m going home. Don’t follow me.”

“I’m serious, Michael! Just stay the night, okay? I’ll take you straight home first thing tomorrow when we’re woken up and ready. Promise.”

Michael began to think about it. It was late, after all, and Michael didn’t live that close to Calum. He just sighed and walked off towards Calum’s room. “Fine. But I’m taking the bed.”

Calum nodded his head. “Okay, that’s fine with me. Did you already eat?”

“No,” Michael said. “I was going to at home.”

“I’ll go make something. Anything you want in particular?”

“If you could make chicken stuffed with mozzarella cheese wrapped in Parma ham with some homemade mashed potatoes, then that’d be great.”

“Like hell I’m going to make that.” Calum was about to walk to the kitchen before he turned to look back at Michael. “I’ll make it another day. I’ll just throw together something and I’ll tell you when food’s been made.”

Michael snorted as he picked up his bag and started making his way towards Calum’s room. He swung the door open, wincing when the knob slammed right into the wall loudly. He then heard Calum yell at him to ‘watch it!’ before he apologized and shut the door—gently.

He placed his bag down before sitting down on the bed. His eyes looked around the room for something that would keep him occupied. He didn’t have a smartphone like most people nowadays, so he couldn’t just use that to pass time. He didn’t feel like using Calum’s laptop, even though his friend did give him the password in case Michael ever needed to use the computer for any reason.

Michael could always take a nap, but he felt like he would end up not waking up until the next morning and miss the food Calum made.

In the end he decided to go to the kitchen and see what his friend was making. There was nothing else for him to do, so he might as well just go to Calum.

Before Michael could get to the kitchen, the aroma of Calum’s cooking filled his nose, and it had Michael salivating. Michael might be working at a restaurant, but he had little to no experience when it came to cooking, so if he wasn’t eating foods that could be made in an instant he would be with Calum where the latter boy would cook something up.

Standing next to Calum, Michael peered down at what was being prepared. He noticed that Calum had stopped what he was doing. He glanced up at him, seeing that Calum was already looking back at him.

“It’ll be done in a few minutes,” Calum informed. “Do you want to help out?”

“I don’t know if I trust myself with such a huge responsibility,” Michael mumbled.

Calum shrugged. “That’s fine. Why don’t you go get yourself something to drink while you wait?”

Michael nodded, leaving Calum’s side and going over to where the cups were stored. He pulled out a white mug with a panda on it and grimaced at how sickeningly adorable it was. Walking over to the refrigerator and opening it up, Michael grabbed a carton of soy milk and proceeded to pour himself some.

After putting the carton back and closing the fridge door, he walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, sitting down on the couch and grabbing the remote to switch on the television. He went to the Netflix app on the TV and immediately went to watch a movie. Once he decided to just watch Lilo & Stitch, he let his feet rest against the seat of the couch, knees pulled to his chest and tucked under his chin as he sipped from the mug filled with soy milk.

Ten minutes into the movie Michael felt a weight beside him, glancing briefly to the side to see Calum reaching towards him to grab the mug Michael was almost finished with. The cup was taken out of his hold and placed on top of the table that was in front of them. Then Calum held out a bowl of what appeared to be instant noodles in some soup mixed with egg towards Michael.

“Ooh,” Michael said in awe. “What’s this?”

“A recipe on the best instant noodles ever prepared, taught by my dad,” Calum answered. “It doesn’t really have a name, but Mali and I know of it as Daddy Noodles.”

Michael just laughed. “What a silly name.”

Calum rolled his eyes. “Just eat it.”

“Are you sure these noodles are the best?”

“To me, yeah.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Michael picked up the fork that was sitting in the bowl for a while before mixing it and turning his attention back to the movie. Calum kicked his feet on top of the table and placed on arm behind Michael as the latter ate up the noodles quietly.

Forty-five minutes into the movie Michael was done with the food, leaving a bit of soup behind. He placed the bowl on the table and watched the rest of the movie play. Calum stood up at one point and collected the bowl and mug (after Michael finished the rest of the soy milk) and carried them off to the kitchen to wash them.

Michael lay down on the couch, his head on one armrest while his feet were on the other. His green eyes were staring straight at the TV, slowly growing heavier as the seconds went by. He wanted to go to sleep, but was way too lazy to get off the couch and head to Calum’s room.

Eventually, he gave in to sleep on the couch, the last thing he remembered was Calum placing a large warm blanket over him and whispering to him, “Good night.”

-

Michael woke up at seven the following morning and he simply couldn’t go back to sleep, so he decided that he should wash up.

After cleaning himself up in the bathroom, he walked into Calum’s room, seeing his brunet friend sprawled across the mattress on his stomach like a sea star. The blanket on the bed was only covering half of one leg, and the sight to Michael was quite amusing.

He crawled on the bed and sat down on the back of his legs, letting his finger poke Calum’s face. There was no reaction, so he did it again. He huffed when he only received the same results.

This time Michael patted Calum’s face, causing the other to stir around as he groaned. He groggily opened his eyes and looked at Michael.

“Good morning,” Michael said.

Calum’s eyes glanced around the room, eyes landing on a clock. He then buried his face into the pillow. “Let me sleep. I need lots of sleep.”

“You should at least cover yourself. It’s so cold here.” Michael grabbed one end of the blanket and pulled it over Calum so his best friend could be warm.

“Thanks, Mikey,” Calum said against the pillow, turning his body so he was lying on his side. “Now go back to sleep.”

“I don’t want to,” Michael groaned. “I already cleaned up and all. Can you take me home? I want to shower.”

“Just shower here. You have some spare clothes here, right?”

“You told me that you’d take me home first thing in the morning.”

Calum nodded. “Mhm, when we’re both woken up and ready. Do I look like I’m woken up and ready to you?”

Michael huffed, got off the bed and went over to the drawers, opening up the one where he usually kept his clothes in case he were to stay over at Calum’s. He frowned when not seeing a shirt, but decided that he’d borrow one of Calum’s. He’ll make sure that it returns to its rightful owner after he washes and dries it.

Taking out one of his clean boxer briefs and Calum’s grey shirt, Michael walked towards the bathroom so he could start his morning shower.

It only took Michael around fifteen minutes to finish showering, mainly because he was taking his time washing himself while singing random songs that came to mind. By the time his body was dry and clothed, he walked out of the bathroom and back to the bedroom where Calum was.

He was relieved to see that Calum was now sitting upright in bed, his thumb swiping across his screen every once in a while. Calum glanced up at Michael and grinned. “Okay, I’m up,” he said. “You happy?”

“Sure,” Michael commented, sitting beside Calum on the bed. “Are you gonna go clean up so you can finally take me home after abducting me?”

“To be fair, you agreed.”

“You kept pestering me!”

“But you agreed eventually.”

Michael shook his head. “Just go, you idiot.”

Calum stood from the bed and left, leaving Michael by himself.

After a while Michael got up from the bed and went to the kitchen, walking straight to the refrigerator. Instead of opening it, he rested his forehead against the cold surface. He suddenly became way too lazy to do anything.

For the past few minutes Michael remained where he was before he decided that he should probably eat or drink something before Calum was to take him home. He settled with just some milk—it should be enough for a little while.

Michael poured himself a cup of milk before putting the milk back in the refrigerator. He let out a sigh before he went to lean against the counter, every once in a while taking a sip from the mug.

Once he finished his milk his stomach growled and Michael placed a hand over it before saying, “I’ll eat when I get home, so stop your rumbling.”

“Did you just really talk to your stomach?”

Michael looked towards where Calum was standing, a towel around his waist while another was on top of his wet hair. He rolled his eyes and said, “Yeah. What, you got a problem with that?”

“Well, no—”

“Actually, go put some clothes on. I don’t like seeing you practically nude.”

“I’m wearing two towels!”

“So? Get dressed so you can finally take me home.”

Calum had an unamused expression on his face, shaking his head before turning away to head back to his room. He then said out loud, “Make sure you have everything here before we leave.”

Michael simply dismissed that, placing the empty cup into the sink before he went to the couch to search for his bag. When he didn’t find it immediately he frowned and tried to think of where else it could be. Then he recalled that he had put it in Calum’s room because he had initially said he was going to sleep there, but in the end slept on the couch anyway.

He started to make his way towards his friend’s room, seeing that the door was slightly cracked open. Pushing the door open with his hand, Michael walked inside the room and saw Calum by the drawers already in basketball shorts and was in the middle of putting on a navy blue T-shirt.

“Do you have everything?” Calum called out as Michael spotted his bag and went to go pick it up.

“I should,” Michael said, throwing bag over his shoulder.

Calum narrowed his eyes at his friend. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“Are you _really_ sure?”

Michael sighed. “What am I forgetting then?”

Calum picked something up from the drawer and handed it to Michael. “Your phone, you ding dong.”

“Damn it.” Michael snatched his phone and put it in his back pocket.

“One day you’re going to understand the importance of remembering a cell phone—preferably you get one that is up-to-date.”

“Oh, shut the fuck up.” Michael lightly punched Calum’s arm. “Can you take me home now?”

“Yeah, I’ll take you home. But first, I have to ask you something. And please don’t hate me for asking you.”

Michael seemed a little bit confused, but he nodded his head and went back over to the bed, taking a seat on the edge of it as Calum stood in front of him.

“What is it?” Michael questioned when Calum was quiet and didn’t get to what he wanted to say right away.

“Well, I just wanted to ask how your search for a roommate was going,” Calum said, rubbing at his neck.

Michael blinked up at his friend before narrowing his eyes. “What did you do, Calum?”

“N-Nothing! I swear, I didn’t do anything! I’m just worried that you haven’t found yourself a roommate yet and that your landlord is going to kick you out and you’ll have no place to stay, since you won’t stay with me.”

“I still have by the end of this week. I’ll find someone.”

“What day are you on? Day four? Are you sure you’ll have enough time? Did you even ask around?”

In truth, Michael hadn’t asked anyone. He was pretty sure that the only time he ever thought about how he needed to find a roommate was whenever Calum brought it up. The only friends he had wouldn’t move in with him and he really didn’t want to ask a bunch of strangers if they wanted to live with him. However, he was oddly not all too worried whether he found a roommate or not. If his landlord kicked him out and he ended up on the streets, then Michael would have been okay with that. He wouldn’t have a roof over his head (despite both Calum and Ashton suggesting he’d live with them), but he would figure out how to deal with that. After all, he was the one who deserved it if he didn’t do anything to keep his apartment.

“I have a feeling you’ve been holding off trying to find a roommate,” Calum said with a sigh. “Look, I have a place big enough for the both of us—”

“Your place is still full of your shit, Cal,” Michael interrupted, standing up and patting his friend on the shoulder. “I can manage this by myself, so don’t worry.”

“You were procrastinating. I knew it.” Calum groaned as Michael walked past him. He followed his friend out of the bedroom. “Michael, why aren’t you taking this seriously? You need to find a roommate as soon as possible.”

“I know, Calum. I know.” Michael ran his fingers through his hair, twisting on his heels so he was facing Calum. “Can we not talk about this now? I get that you’re worried about me, but I’m not in the mood.”

Calum wore a small frown, but before he could say anything Michael was already walking towards the front door.

“Take me home, please,” Michael said. “I kind of want to be alone before I go to work later on tonight.”

“Yeah, okay,” Calum mumbled. “Sorry for asking about your search for a roommate.”

Michael didn’t respond. He just let Calum walk past him and then the two were on their way to the car. Michael got in the passenger’s seat and plopped his bag at his feet while Calum took the driver’s side, the latter boy starting the car. When the drive to Michael’s place began neither of the two boys said anything to each other, the only sound to fill the silence is from the noise happening from outside of the vehicle.

Of course Michael knew that Calum was worried, and he had every right to be. Calum was simply looking out for his best friend who was struggling to get by every day. Yes, Michael was also aware that he himself was being stubborn when it came to getting help from Calum (or anyone for that matter). And maybe he should ask for help, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it despite basically having nothing to lose.

He just wanted to do things himself. Why couldn’t he do that?

A couple of minutes went by and Calum eventually pulled into the car lot in front of Michael’s apartment. He put the car into park and turned himself to face Michael a bit. “Michael, I know you want to do things by yourself, but I’m this close—” he held up his index and thumb, leaving minuscule space between them “—to stepping in. In fact, I have a friend who’s been looking for a place to stay.”

“I don’t want your help,” Michael grumbled.

“But at this point you need it. You’re not going anywhere with your search, so I might as well.”

“Calum, I swear—”

Calum’s patience was wearing thin. “What does it take for you to accept my help?! I am looking out for you! Why won’t you let me?!”

Michael glared. “Because I don’t need anyone to look out for me! I can do this myself!”

The two continued to glower at each other, Calum’s face being the first to soften. “Believe me when I say that I understand more than anyone how you want to be independent. I know you can do things yourself, but it’s okay to get help. You’re my best friend, and I would hate for anything bad to happen to you, which is why I am looking out for you. Let me help you get a roommate. Please.”

“If you really were my best friend, then you would let me do this by myself.” Michael crossed his arms over his chest and slouched in his seat.

Calum slapped a hand over his face. He then let said hand fall back onto the steering wheel. “I’m going to be very frank with you right now, Michael—you’re doing a shitty job at finding a roommate. Hell, you’re not even _doing_ your job. Maybe if you actually _tried_ to find someone to live with you, then—”

“Calum, stop. I get it, okay?”

Calum didn’t say anything as Michael turned his head towards the window. Michael was now hugging himself, sighing heavily.

“I’m sorry,” Michael said. “You’re right. I just—” He let out a shaky breath “—I don’t know who to ask. There aren’t that many people I can ask. I’m limited to you and my coworker Ashton, and I really don’t want to live with some random stranger.”

“Well, desperate times call for desperate measures.” Calum shrugged. “Look, if it’s okay with you, I’ll call my friend and see if she’s interested in living with you.”

Michael looked at Calum and cocked a brow. “She?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry, she won’t hit on you. She’s asexual. I learned that the hard way...” Calum muttered the last part, but Michael still heard it and laughed.

“Okay, sure. Thank you, Cal.” Michael smiled. He unlocked the car door and grabbed his bag from off the ground. “I don’t tell you this enough, but I’m really glad to have you in my life.”

Calum grinned. “You better be. I’m the bestest friend ever.”

Michael chuckled. “Whatever you say. Thank you for the ride.”

“I’ll call you later. Love you.” Calum puckered his lips out and Michael raised his middle finger at his friend, muttering how he was still an idiot at times. He then proceeded to walk away from the car and towards the building as Calum began to drive away.

Michael approached the many stairs that were a part of the apartments, taking every other step towards the third floor where his flat was located. He approached his door and went to grab his apartment key. As he was pulling it out, Michael heard some kind of noise in his own flat. He froze in place, wondering what that could possibly be. Or _who_.

It obviously couldn’t have been Calum, because he had just left to return to his place. Was the landlord waiting for him? Getting ready to kick Michael out? No, that couldn’t be. One, it hadn’t even been a week yet, and if anything Mr. Hansen wouldn’t wait for his tenant inside. He would surely leave a note at the door or something, but definitely not be in the flat.

He felt as if he was being paranoid. There couldn’t have been a way someone was at his home. It didn’t look like anyone broke inside—well, unless they managed to pick the lock at the door. He also doubted that someone would even bother breaking and entering his house, since he basically had nothing to give. Then again, it wasn’t like the intruder would know that...

Michael gulped, twisting the knob of the front door and letting himself inside. The lights were off when he stepped inside and nothing seemed out of place. He wasn’t going to take any chances though.

He flicked on the lights for the main room before making his way over to the kitchen. He dug through his utensils for a knife, holding the blade up in front of him. He was going to check every single room in his apartment, just to make sure.

This time, he _for sure_ heard what sounded like a loud yawn and Michael could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Someone was _definitely_ in his home, and they were right in his bedroom.

Slowly, Michael approached the bedroom door, the knife still in front of him. The closer he got to his room, the harder his heart was beating. With one hand he reached for the knob, twisted it, and kicked the door right open.

The room was dark, but Michael clearly heard someone yell out, “Oh, shit!”

First thing Michael did was switch the lights on, revealing a shirtless guy with dirty blond hair laying _in Michael’s bed_ , the bedsheets covering the rest of his body.

The guy had an alarmed look his face, but soon that vanished and then he smiled. “Oh, you must be Michael. You scared me there—wait, are you holding a knife?”

Of course, like any normal person would react, Michael screamed.


	7. Chapter 6

“Who the fuck are you and what are you doing here?!” Michael exclaimed as he held up the knife at the blond boy.

“Calm down and lower your voice, please,” the guy said, slowly getting out of bed to reveal that he was wearing only a pair of navy blue shorts. “Put the knife down, Michael. It’s unsettling.”

“How the fuck do you know my name?! Oh, God, I need to call the police.” Michael hurried out of the room, drawing out his phone and immediately dialing the three digit number.

“No, don’t!”

Sensing the guy approaching him, Michael immediately swung his arm around behind him, nearly cutting the guy right in the face.

“Mother of fu—!” The guy stepped back, holding his hands up in defense. “Let me explain!”

Michael had yet to press the call button on his phone as he stared at the person in front of him with wide eyes. He then shouted, “Don’t move!”

“I’m sorry I freaked you out,” the guy apologized, staying where he was. “Clearly, you weren’t informed about me moving in today.”

“Obviously—wait, moving in?”

The blond nodded. “I was told to move in here to live with you. I mean, I don’t really know you, but I need a place to stay as well. And I’d be more than happy to pay half the rent.” Michael narrowed his eyes at the guy whose blue eyes went wide before he shook his head. “Shit, I’m so rude. I didn’t even introduce myself. Hi, I’m Luke.”

Luke held out his hand for Michael to shake, the brunet just staring at his hand. He pressed the red button before closing his phone and shoving it in his pocket.

Without shaking Luke’s hand, Michael turned on his heels and went for the kitchen, throwing the knife into the sink as he muttered to himself, “This is fucking insane.”

Retracting his hand and running his fingers through his long, wavy hair, Luke cleared his throat and said, “You have a flip phone?”

Michael turned himself around to look at Luke who looked like he was holding back a smile. “Excuse me?”

“I’m sorry, it’s just... most people your age have smartphones nowadays, am I correct?”

Michael glared at him. “‘My age’? How old do you think I am?”

“I don’t know... Seventeen?”

“Seventee—” Michael looked taken aback, possibly offended. “I’m twenty-two!”

“Oh.” Luke seemed surprised. “Okay, cool. So you’re legal.”

“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you’re legal. What else could it mean?”

“I—” Michael didn’t know how he was supposed to answer that, so he decided to drop the subject. He turned away from Luke and said to himself, “I gotta make a call.”

“Isn’t that all you can do with a flip phone?” Luke commented with a grin, causing the brunet to glare at him.

In the most menacing way he could muster up, Michael pointed at Luke and said, “You, don’t move, or I will seriously call the police.”

Luke raised his hands in defense, although the smirk on his face showed he wasn’t really taking Michael seriously. Then, Michael left the blond alone.

Michael punched in Calum’s number before pushing the call button. He brought his phone up to his ear and waited for his friend to pick up, muttering every once in a while for Calum to hurry up.

Calum picked up his phone finally and then answered, “ _Hey, Mikey. What’s up?_ ”

“Calum,” Michael said calmly, trying his very best to not lose his temper, “I thought I told you I didn’t need your help.”

“ _You did._ ”

“Then why the hell is there a stranger in my apartment?”

“ _Wait, what?_ ”

“Calum, I told you that I didn’t want—”

“ _Yeah, yeah, I get it. Uh, whatever you do, Michael, stay where you are. I’m turning back. Thankfully I didn’t get home yet._ ”

Before Michael could say anything, Calum had ended the call, making Michael gawk down at the phone and snapping it shut.

“Okay,” Michael mumbled to himself. “Relax. Take deep breaths. Calum will be here in a few minutes.”

“Who’s Calum?”

Michael jumped at the voice, looking back to see Luke right behind him. “Didn’t I tell you to not move?!”

“Who’s Calum?” Luke didn’t seem to have cared about Michael’s threat earlier about calling the police.

“Okay, you weren’t sent here by Calum then.”

“That doesn’t tell me who he is.”

“Will you go sit down somewhere?!”

Without saying another word, Luke went over to couch and sat down, hands clasped together and resting on top of his lap. Michael just stood in front of Luke with arms crossed over his chest, a glare on his face.

“How did you get in here?” he asked.

“I was let in,” Luke answered slowly, “by Mr. Hansen.”

Michael mentally swore at his landlord. “There are other places that are vacant. Why did he make you move in with me?”

Luke held up his hands. “Trust me, I wanted my own place, but he insisted that I live with you. Said something about how you needed a roommate?”

“That man, I swear.” Michael groaned, one hand on his hip while his other pinched the area between his eyes.

“So, what’s the deal with that? Why did you need someone to live with you?”

“I don’t! Just—I don’t know, sit there and don’t move a single muscle.” Michael was now very much annoyed with his landlord. Maybe it wasn’t too late to move in with Calum.

Neither of the two said anything to each other. Luke sat tightly where he was and avoided eye contact with Michael who had been keeping his glare on him. It wasn’t until there was a knock on the door some minute later did Michael look away. With one last glance at Luke, he approached the door and opened it, seeing Calum standing there.

“Thank goodness you’re here,” Michael said. “I—”

He was suddenly pushed to the side and Michael stumbled back as Calum stormed up to Luke and grabbed him by the shirt, yanking him forward until their faces were inches apart.

“I swear to God, if you’ve placed a single finger on Michael—” Calum hissed at Luke’s face, the blond’s eyes growing wide from slight fear and surprise.

However, Michael went up to Calum and placed his hands on his shoulders, tugging him back. Calum let his grip on Luke go, the blond taking deep breaths as Michael pulled his friend into the bedroom and locked the door after themselves.

“Okay,” Michael began, “A little after the phone call I realized that it wasn’t you who sent him.”

“Obviously,” Calum responded. He motioned at the door, although Michael knew he was gesturing towards Luke. “Who is that guy? How did he get in here?”

“I’m about to explain.”

“Then go.” Calum took a seat on the bed, crossing his arms over his chest.

“The guy out there?” Michael jerked his thumb towards the door. “His name’s Luke. He’s apparently my new roommate, thanks to my dumb landlord.”

“Please tell me he didn’t hurt you.”

Michael shook his head. “If anything, I nearly murdered him. I was swinging a knife at him.”

“Oh, jeez. Hopefully, he doesn’t sue you or anything.”

“In my defense, I thought he was intruding.”

Calum pinched the bridge of his nose between his eyes, his elbow resting over his other arm that hugged around his waist. “Okay, let’s just get to know the guy. If he’s gonna be living here, might as well know who he is, right?”

Michael nodded in agreement, the two friends leaving the room to see Luke walking around the room. The blond was examining the place, hands in his pockets as his eyes gazed everywhere. Calum cleared his throat loudly, Luke’s attention turning towards them.

“So am I being kicked out already, or...” Luke began, walking over to the couch and taking a seat on it. Calum sat on the armrest while Michael remained standing, arms crossed over his chest.

“Tell us who you are,” Calum said immediately.

Luke sighed, clapping his hands together. “Well, uh, hi. I’m Luke and I like bagels.”

“We don’t give a damn if you like bagels,” Michael snapped. “Tell us something more important.”

“But I don’t know anything more important than bagels.”

Michael rolled his eyes. “How old are you?”

Luke sighed. “I’ll be twenty-two in July.”

“What do you do for a living?”

“Audio engineering.”

Calum snorted before looking at Michael. “Hey, he’s already doing a lot better than you.”

“Oh, put a dick in it,” Michael snapped. He glared back at Luke. “Where are you from? What’s your alma mater? Why did you come looking for a place to live in this apartment complex specifically? Answer me, damn it!”

“Okay, I think the poor guy has had enough questions.” Calum placed his hands on Michael’s shoulders, trying to draw Michael away from the blond, but Michael stayed put where he was standing.

“I’m not going anywhere until I know I can trust this guy.”

“You literally got mad at him for not answering you when you were shooting questions at a hundred miles per hour.”

“It’s not my fault he can’t answer fast enough!”

“Jeez,” Luke grumbled, “if I knew my roommate was going to be this annoying, I wouldn’t have agreed to rooming with you in the first place.”

Michael glared at the blond. “We barely know each other, and already you’re insulting me.”

“Says the guy who nearly murdered me with a bloody knife within the first minute we meet.”

“I didn’t come home expecting to see some half-naked stranger in the bedroom of my apartment! Okay, that’s it! I’m complaining to Hansen!” Michael stormed over to the front door, but not before turning towards Calum. “You’re in charge. Keep an eye on him.”

“I’m on the lease with you, yet he’s in charge?” Luke asked while Calum just smirked.

Michael gave Luke a pointed look before leaving the apartment and going down to the first floor where Mr. Hansen should be.

The entire trip to his landlord’s office, Michael was grumbling to himself about how annoyed he was with his Mr. Hansen and Luke. His landlord literally let a random stranger live with him, and that random stranger was being a pain in his neck. He was going to knock some sense into his landlord and hopefully get rid of Luke once and for all.

Once Michael got to the office, he banged his fist against the door before taking a step back and waiting for Mr. Hansen to come out.

After a while, the door opened and revealed Mr. Hansen who looked annoyed and tired. When he saw Michael, he sighed, but he gave him a knowing grin as he said, “Judging by the look on your face, I assume you’ve met your roommate.”

“I did not agree to any of this,” Michael said as he stepped inside the office, making Mr. Hansen move out of his way. “Why in the world would you shove a roommate onto me and not tell me anything about it? And who in their right mind would do that?!”

“He was looking for a place to stay, and I gave him the cheapest option. He didn’t have to move in with you, but I strongly recommended that he move in with you, and luckily he didn’t mind having a roommate. How do you like him so far?”

“I don’t! I don’t want him as a roommate. Give him his own flat, or kick me out! I’d rather live on the streets than in an apartment with a random stranger.”

Mr. Hansen blinked. “That can be arranged, you know.”

Michael huffed.

“I understand that you’re very upset with me,” Mr. Hansen said, “but, if anything, I did you a favor, so you should be grateful. Luke is your roommate, and that is final.”

“But—”

“End of discussion. I can’t keep letting you miss rent every single month and extend the deadline, and, even if you were serious about living in the streets I really don’t want to do that to you. If it’s any consolation, with Luke as your roommate, you won’t be hearing from me that often.”

“Mr. Hansen, I—”

“If you will please leave, I have work to get done.” Mr. Hansen gently led Michael out of his office. Once he was out, the landlord began to close the door. “You’ll thank me in the future.”

Then the door shut.

Michael just stared dumbfounded at the door. There were too many things running through his head right now, he didn’t know which emotion to feel first. Was Mr. Hansen even allowed to do that? Put a stranger on the lease without Michael’s consent? So what if he was behind a few payments? Michael should at least have a say in whom he got to room with. This wasn’t fair. Why did everything have to be against him?

“I guess things didn’t go as planned?”

Yelping, Michael turned himself around to see Luke leaning slightly forward, as he had spoken right in his ear.

“What the hell?!” Michael exclaimed. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in the apartment with Calum.”

“Oh, I told him I had to unload my stuff from the car and into the apartment,” Luke explained, standing up straight.

“Are you kidding me? And Calum just let you?”

“Pretty much. Isn’t your friend just great at watching over me?” Luke lightly patted Michael’s cheek.

Michael shoved Luke’s hand away and stepped back. “Don’t you have shit to grab from your car?”

“Yeah.”

“Then, why are you even here?”

“I wanted to see you talk to the landlord about getting rid of me.”

Michael furrowed his eyebrows. “What? Why?”

The blond grinned. “I love to see others fail.”

Gaping, Michael watched as Luke turned on his heels and walked off to the parking lot. Now he was angrier at Luke than he was at Mr. Hansen. They just met this morning, and already he hates the guy. Luke proved to Michael that he was a condescending dick. He couldn’t believe that, of all the people that he was forced to live with, it was this guy.

Michael was pretty sure that upon meeting Luke, the odds of the entire universe were against him.

-

Michael was sitting on the couch with his legs crossed and arms over his chest as he glared at Luke who was moving all of his stuff into the one and only bedroom in the entire apartment. He said he wasn’t comfortable with sleeping on anything that wasn’t a mattress, so Michael reluctantly lent the bed to Luke until he bought his own mattress. It wasn’t like he used it much anyway. He always found himself falling asleep on his couch way more than on his bed. Plus, there was no way Michael would be caught dead sleeping anywhere near Luke.

Luke came back out of the room, his eyes briefly meeting Michael’s before he walked to their apartment door. “So, are you just gonna sit there and glare at me while I’m settling in?”

Without answering, Michael just narrowed his eyes at Luke. The blond just let out an awkward huff of air before excusing himself so he could grab one last thing from his car.

Calum, who had been in the kitchen looking for something to eat but finding nothing and instead got water for Michael and himself, took a seat next to his grumpy friend and handed him one of the glasses of water, to which Michael angrily grabbed and chugged the entire drink.

“I know that’s water, but don’t just gulp it down all at once,” Calum said, taking the glass back when Michael roughly slammed it against the couch.

“I hate Luke,” Michael said. “I want him out.”

Calum snorted as he took a small sip from his glass of water. “Good luck with that.”

Michael shot his friend a glare. “What was that?”

“If anyone’s getting kicked out, it’ll most likely be you, to be honest.” Michael gaped, but Calum continued on, “Let me explain. The guy’s an audio engineer, and you’re a busboy. He can pay for this entire building, and you can’t even pay for your own apartment.”

Michael huffed, because that was pretty much true. He slouched in his seat and threw his legs over Calum’s lap, his head on the armrest of the couch. “Why does my life suck?”

“Because you suck.”

“Oh, shut the fuck up.” Michael reached for the remote on the table and turned on the television, the screen immediately showing news about some boy band Michael couldn’t care less about, so he switched the television off.

After a while, Luke came back with a small box in his arms and went over to the bedroom. Michael groaned and stood up, walking to the bedroom door and standing in front of it.

Luke stepped up towards Michael and said, “Do you need something?”

“I don’t want anything funny coming from you,” Michael said, pointing at Luke accusingly.

“What’s your definition of funny? Like, pulling pranks on you or something? I’m not that immature. I would never do that.”

“I swear, if you even bother me—”

“Look who’s talking. I’m minding my own business. You were the one who stopped me just now.”

Michael glared. “You’re a dick, you know that?”

Luke just snorted, using the box to move Michael to the side as he entered the room. “I’ll be doing my own thing. You should try doing that as well, Flippy.”

Michael’s eyes widened. “Flippy?!”

Without saying anything, Luke winked and shut the door. Michael grunted aloud, stomping towards Calum and grabbing his wrist.

“We’re leaving,” Michael said. “I cannot stand being under the same roof as that nimrod.”

Calum just let Michael drag him out of the apartment and all the way to the parking lot. Michael let go of Calum, who began to walk towards where he was parked. They climbed into the vehicle and buckled themselves in, Calum starting the car and Michael grumbling in the passenger’s seat.

Turning up the radio slightly, Calum cleared his throat and asked, “Uh, is there any place you want to go?”

“Anywhere. I don’t give a shit,” Michael said, turning his head to the side to look out the window. “Driving off a cliff doesn’t sound like a bad idea right now.”

“Let’s not do that.” Calum thought for a bit. “I guess we’re going to the mall to walk around for a bit. That okay?”

Michael nodded. “I’ll pay for your gas.”

“Worry about saving money for yourself first.” Calum pulled out of the parking spot and then began driving straight to the mall.

The ride was mostly quiet, but as the radio continued to play music, Michael began softly humming along to some of the songs. He was trying to distract himself from what was going on in his life, and thankfully the songs on the radio were able to keep his mind off of a certain blond.

When they reached the mall, the two friends got out of the car. Once they were next to each other and walking closer to the shopping center, Michael said, “Thanks for driving, Cal. I do appreciate you.”

“I know,” Calum said. “And you’re welcome. If you ever need a ride, just let me know and I’ll take you anywhere you want. Except off a cliff.”

Michael laughed.

“Michael!”

Confused by a third voice yelling out his name, Michael looked around until a body slammed into his, arms pulling him into a hug.

Michael didn’t know how to react to some random person embracing him, but when the person pulled away, his eyes grew wide and a smile formed on his lips.

“Ashton!” he exclaimed, pulling Ashton back in for another hug. “What are you doing here?”

“I was doing some shopping for my siblings and am about to head home now.” Ashton drew away from Michael and then his eyes looked over at Calum. His smile faded and he gestured towards the taller boy. “Who’s this?”

Michael glanced over at Calum before looking back at Ashton. “This is Calum. He’s my friend from uni.”

“Hey,” Calum said, holding his hand out for Ashton to shake.

However, Ashton didn’t shake his hand, but gasped and pointed at Calum. “Oh! You’re that numbskull of a friend!”

Calum gaped. “Pardon?”

“Okay!” Michael suddenly exclaimed, grabbing Calum’s shoulders and directing him away from Ashton. “We should really get going.”

“No, wait a minute.” Calum moved himself away from Michael and walked back to Ashton. “‘Numbskull of a friend’? Is that what Michael calls me?”

“Well, he called you that only once,” Ashton explained as he shrugged. “He never talks about you, but the first time he mentioned you, he referred to you as his numbskull of a friend.”

“Really?” Calum looked over at Michael who was smiling innocently. “I’m so glad that my best friend thinks that way about me, the one friend who drives you around.”

“You were bugging me about looking for a roommate when I talked about you,” Michael retorted. “Of course I’d call you a numbskull.”

“Oh! Speaking of which,” Ashton spoke up, “how’s that going? Did you find anyone yet?”

Calum smirked. “Actually, a friend of his moved in this morning.”

Michael glared at his best friend, but Ashton gasped and jumped excitedly. “That’s great! Now you won’t get kicked out!”

“The guy’s a total dickhead though,” Michael said, “but I guess it is good that I won’t get evicted. The only thing that sucks is that now I won’t have any privacy as long as he’s around.”

Ashton thought for a moment. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Well, I have to get going. My siblings are waiting for me. I’ll see you tonight at work.” He looked at Calum. “It was great meeting you in person, numbskull.” He giggled and then left.

Calum’s eyes widened. “Numbsku—look what you did, Michael! Now he’s going to know me as that stupid nickname you called me.”

“Hey, you are a numbskull. Stop being a baby about it.” Michael continued to walk with Calum beside him. “Also, why did you tell Ashton that Luke’s my friend? We’re not even friends. I don’t even know the guy!”

“Because I’m not going to tell him you and a person you don’t know are living together.” He paused. “While you went to go talk to your landlord, Luke and I were briefly talking about you.”

“Yeah?” Michael raised a brow. “What kind of shit was he talking about?”

“Nothing that bad. But he asked me if you were always so, uh, I guess uptight. I said, for as long as I could remember. Then he said, and I quote, ‘Some things never change.’”

Michael frowned. He didn’t even know what that meant. Did Luke have uptight roommates before? Well, it didn’t matter what Luke dealt with in the past. Anything related to Luke didn’t and shouldn’t matter to Michael. So, he shook the thought of his roommate out of his mind and continued to enjoy his time spent with Calum at the mall.

During their hang out together, Michael would run ahead of Calum to admire things at the display window and inside the stores. Calum would just watch as Michael would look at something that drew in his attention and delight in said thing. Michael didn’t buy anything, but he was happy enough to appreciate the things with Calum standing to the side with an amused look on his face.

The two ended up staying at the mall for hours. Calum did end up actually buying a new jacket while Michael just continued what he had been doing the entire time. By the time it was noon, Michael was getting tired and hungry, so they left the mall to go back to Michael’s flat, but not before stopping by a place to grab some lunch to eat. Much to Michael’s discontent, Calum paid for the food and refused to accept any money from Michael.

Of course, Michael still managed to sneak a ten dollar bill in the center console while Calum was more focused with driving.

Once they arrived back at the apartment complex, Calum parked the car and shut off the engine, but they stayed in the car for a bit as Michael looked at the building with a reluctant look and groaned.  
“I don’t want to be in the apartment with stupid Luke,” he said.

“You’ll be fine,” Calum assured. “I’ll stay with you until you have to go to work.”

“Thanks. And thanks for spending time with me.” Then Michael mumbled as he sunk into his seat, “And paying for lunch.”

Calum smiled. “It was my pleasure.”

“One day, I will pay for the both of us.”

“Yeah, okay. Whatever you say.”

The two friends stepped out of the car and proceeded towards the building. They went up the stairs and Michael unlocked the door to the apartment, walking inside with Calum behind him.

Michael looked over at the bedroom door, seeing that it was closed. He was hoping that Luke had gone out, but then he heard a noise coming from inside and he furrowed his eyebrows.

“What the hell?” Michael said, shaking his head. “Has he been in there the entire time?”

“I wouldn’t know, but it seems unlikely,” Calum said.

Michael sighed. He pulled out his flip phone to set it down on the table, but he saw that it was running low on battery. “I have to charge my phone.”

“I’ll do it for you.” Calum took Michael’s phone and walked over to the bedroom, since that was where Michael’s charger was located. 

Michael sat down on the couch and propped one leg on top of the table. “It’s been less than a day, and he’s already getting way too comfortable.”

Calum glanced back at his friend before he could open the door. “He does own the place now, so he might as well get himself situated.” He then opened the door and peered inside.

Michael grumbled. “Yeah, but I lived here first.”

A second after opening the door, Calum immediately slammed it shut and turned his back to it, his eyes wide like he had seen something he shouldn’t have.

Michael raised an eyebrow as he questioned his friend, “What’s wrong?” He stood up from the couch and approached Calum. “Is he doing something in there?”

“Luke is doing something in there all right,” Calum said.

“And what is that?”

Calum opened his mouth to speak, but then Luke’s voice from within the bedroom cut him off.

“Oh, f-fuck, Mikey,” his new roommate swear, making Michael tilt his head to the side. “Keep going. Yeah, like that, I’m so close—”

Michael blinked. “What the hell? Did I hear him say my name?” he muttered before his eyes widened. “Oh, don’t tell me he’s masturbating on the bed!” He moved Calum to the side and grabbed the handle.

Calum blurted out, “Michael, don’t!”

It was too late. Michael barged into the bedroom, ready to snap at Luke for already masturbating on the first day of living here. However, he wasn’t able to make out any words as his jaw dropped at the sight before him.

No, Luke was not masturbating, but he was sitting on the edge of the bed with his arms supporting his upper body and head tilted back while a girl with long red hair was on her knees before him. The situation wasn’t made any better when Luke let out a loud moan and moved his arms from beneath him so he was lying completely against the bed. 

Calum placed a hand over Michael’s eyes, only for Michael to smack his hand away and yell, “What the hell is going on here?!”

Luke opened his eyes and looked over at Michael, smirking. “Well, good afternoon to you too. Wasn’t expecting you home so early. Care to join us?”

“No, ew! What the fuck! Have you no shame?!”

Eventually the girl drew away, turning around while she wiped her mouth. Michael couldn’t believe that Luke and this chick were actually doing dirty stuff. _On his bed._

“Why did you guys have to do it in here?!” Michael exclaimed. “That’s disgusting!”

“Well, we weren’t going to do it on the couch,” Luke said, adjusting his shorts to cover himself up. “The bedroom’s way more private and the best place to do it.”

“Not as private, if you don’t lock the door and you share this place with another guy.” Michael looked back at the redhead whose green eyes met Michael’s. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Oh, I’m sorry for intruding in your home,” said she as she grinned. She seemed just as unfazed about the whole thing as Luke was, it made Michael extremely uncomfortable how carefree they were. She stood up, walked over, and stuck her hand out.

Yeah, like Michael was going to touch her hand after what he had witnessed.

“I’m Micah,” she said, “but you can call me Mikey.”

Michael’s eyes widened and he heard Calum behind him whistle and say, “Awkward.”


End file.
